Anthony Hopkins ‘running out of time’ to visit his beloved homeland

Nation Cymru staff

Sir Anthony Hopkins has made a touching appearance on television, explaining how he loves to go back to Wales but that he feels his ‘time is running out’.

In emotional scenes filmed with ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nannar, he shared how he has taken to using Google Streetview to visit his old streets virtually, and that ‘most days’ he’s back there somehow, before mentioning the ‘powerful’ memories he has of his family and ‘extraordinary childhood’.

He shared: “I Google map, as you can Google things now, I go to streets and I move up the street.

“The photographs of my streets in Wales or anywhere really, but I’m always going back there.

“I would say yeah, most days I’m back there somehow. The memories are very powerful, and my parents, my mother and my father and the extraordinary childhood I had really.”

He was then asked by Nannar, if theres is any part of him that wishes that he was still living in Wales.

He replied: “I love going back there. I love going back to the streets. I have not done that for about two three years now, but I do like it, I love it, but there’s no time really.

“My time is running out, but I do love it.

“Going back to Port Talbot and Margam. I wish I could just walk around a bit but I’m getting a bit too old for that walking around.”

Sir Anthony Hopkins released a new album of original classical compositions, including several pieces inspired by his childhood in south Wales, today (21 August).

Though celebrated for his acting, the Port Talbot-born performer is a self-taught composer and began playing the piano at the age of four and was performing Beethoven and Chopin just a few years later.

He started improvising as young as six years old, and was composing music for local plays as a teenager in the 1950s. In 2012, he received a Classic Brit Award for Album of the Year for his contribution to And the Waltz Goes On.

Since then, Sir Anthony has increasingly shared his music with audiences around the world, performing his original compositions with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Saudi Arabia in 2025 in the gala concert, Life Is a Dream.

On Friday 10 July, Sir Anthony signed to Decca Classics as a composer, and releases his first album, a 12-track election of orchestral works written across more than six decades.

The first single from Life is a Dream, titled ‘Bracken Road’ from Sir Anthony’s 1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra, gave a moving first taste of the album, and is available to stream along with the full release now.

Inspired by childhood memories of Margam, south Wales, it is intended as a nostalgic musical portrait of the streets, meadows, farmland and mountains that surrounded his family home in the 1940s.

Originally conceived as a song while Hopkins was a young actor at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1963, the melody emerged during mornings improvising at an upright piano backstage before rehearsals.

Though influenced by the Harry James Orchestra and Jackie Gleason’s orchestral ballads, the orchestration pays tribute to the slow movement of Elgar’s First Symphony.

“Music was my first desire, my first wish,” explained Sir Anthony. “I’ve been composing music all my life. Some of these pieces have lived with me for decades and I still find myself returning to them.”

Conductor and violinist Gustavo Dudamel shared: “Sir Anthony Hopkins is one of those rare artists whose creative voice transcends any single medium. The same depth of imagination, humanity, and emotional truth that has defined his extraordinary work on stage and screen is present in his music.

“Listening to his composition, I am struck by its beauty, craftsmanship, and the unmistakable sense of wonder that animates it. Anthony approaches music with the heart of a storyteller and the instincts of a poet, creating sound worlds that are both deeply personal and universally resonant.

“It has been a privilege to collaborate with him on this recording alongside my friends Gregorio Nieto, Sergio Tiempo, and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and to help bring to life the musical voice of an artist whose creativity knows no boundaries.”

President of Decca, Laura Monks, said: “It is such a privilege to have the great Sir Anthony Hopkins join Decca Classics. His depth of talent and classical music knowledge, honed over a lifetime, is a joy to celebrate with this new album.

“Hearing his incredible compositions come to life at the recording sessions in London with Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia Orchestra was a once in a lifetime experience that we are excited to bring to the world.”

Alongside Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia, the recording features pianist Sergio Tiempo, cellist Gregorio Nieto, The Bach Choir and the Boy Choristers of Winchester Cathedral. The album was recorded at Alexandra Palace, London in April 2026.

Listen to Hopkins’ new album, Life is a Dream, on Spotify and all streaming platforms now or purchase from Decca and all good music shops.

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