{"id":678258,"date":"2026-07-07T09:43:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T09:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/678258\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T09:43:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T09:43:15","slug":"sir-anthony-hopkins-88-unrecognisable-as-he-supports-england-in-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/678258\/","title":{"rendered":"Sir Anthony Hopkins, 88, unrecognisable as he supports England in World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/comp-1783410926.png\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29071078\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"sync\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tSir Anthony Hopkins got some heat for supporting England (Picture: Getty\/Instagram)<\/p>\n<p><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/anthony-hopkins\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sir Anthony Hopkins <\/a>has left fans baffled as he celebrated England\u2019s win at the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/world-cup\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Men\u2019s World Cup<\/a>, looking utterly unrecognisable.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t just that the Welsh-born star was rocking the<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/04\/sorry-england-three-lions-anthem-isnt-winning-29027882\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Three Lions<\/a> on his chest, Sir Anthony appeared much leaner and sported a beard.<\/p>\n<p>The 88-year-old actor was sat down as he hugged his wife Stella Arroyave, 70, who was in a green Mexico shirt and cap.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We\u2019re all winners\u2026 #WorldCup2026,\u2019 he captioned the post after the game, which saw <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/06\/ross-kemp-literally-drools-england-top-celebrating-jude-bellingham-goals-29061533\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">England knock out one of the host nations, 3-2.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Fans couldn\u2019t get over how different he looked, as well as roasting the Silence of the Lambs legend for being a \u2018turncoat\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Sir Anthony was born in Margam, not far from Swansea and Bridgend in South Wales but has lived in <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/california\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">California<\/a> for several years.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"854\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_267138092-8fa9.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29071051\" alt=\"2E95BT1 Sir Anthony Hopkins poses in the pressroom during the 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, CA, USA on January 16, 2006. Photo by Hahn-Khayat\/ABACAPRESS.COM\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tHe looked unrecognisable sporting a beard(Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)<\/p>\n<p>\u2018What are you doing????? You are Welsh \ud83d\ude2d,\u2019 commented Susi on the post, as Declan Mulligan wrote: \u2018Thought you were a proud Welsh man.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Babes ur welsh x,\u2019 chimed in Lauren, although with Scotland out and Wales not qualifying, Sir Anthony has likely just opted for his nearest home nation.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Stella is also not from Mexico and was instead born in Colombia, who are also competing in the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>The team beat Ghana on Friday and are set to face off against Switzerland tonight (Tuesday, July 7).<\/p>\n<p>The Elephant Man actor is fairly active on <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/social-media\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">social media<\/a> but didn\u2019t share any more details on the World Cup battle from inside his house.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"855\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_304225572-d162.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29071072\" alt=\"Anthony Hopkins We?re all winners? ?? #worldcup2026\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\u2018Babes, you\u2019re Welsh\u2019 (Picture: Instagram)<\/p>\n<p>Fans can assume he didn\u2019t indulge in any drinks, though, as the actor has been sober for over 50 years after being involved in a drink-driving incident.<\/p>\n<p>On a fateful night in 1975, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/12\/30\/sir-anthony-hopkins-celebrates-nearly-50-years-sober-driving-car-drunk-out-of-my-skull-22265828\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">he quit drinking and never looked back, <\/a>after realising he was \u2018in big, big trouble\u2019 and \u2018driving a car drunk out of [his] skull.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The acclaimed star, who began his career on stage with Laurence Olivier, said in a video two years ago he had \u2018more fun\u2019 since quitting \u2018than ever.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Since becoming sober, Sir Anthony has starred in the likes of A Bridge Too Far (1977), and 1980\u2019s The Elephant Man.<\/p>\n<p>His best-known role as Dr Hannibal Lecter in 1991\u2019s The Silence of the Lambs landed him two <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/oscars\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Academy Awards<\/a>; Best Actor and Best Picture.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, he became the oldest actor to receive an Oscar for Best Actor after his critically acclaimed role in The Father.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"969\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_277652193-86ba.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29071046\" alt=\"JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - DECEMBER 11: Anthony Hopkins attends the Closing Night red carpet at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2025 on December 11, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli\/Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival)\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tThe 88-year-old star has seven films in the works (Picture: Daniele Venturelli\/Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival)<\/p>\n<p>Speaking about his online popularity, he told\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/anthony-hopkins-86-and-in-good-health-is-aware-of-his-mortality-exclusive-8430761\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">People<\/a>: \u2018I\u2019m slightly reluctant. I say, \u201cOh no, not again.\u201d But I do something silly because we need humour. We need a laugh in life.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018For good reason I guess, life is tough. The world is a savage place but life does have its beauty.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The esteemed actor often shares positive videos, such as returning home to Wales for <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/christmas\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Christmas<\/a> or short clips of him playing piano for his family.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s still incredibly active, with seven films currently listed on his IMDb as upcoming or in post-production, including a biopic on the Maserati family, starring <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/al-pacino\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Al Pacino<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tComment now<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tComments<br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tAdd as preferred source<br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sir Anthony Hopkins got some heat for supporting England (Picture: Getty\/Instagram) Sir Anthony Hopkins has left fans baffled&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":678259,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[22087,6491,96,3334,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-678258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-anthony-hopkins","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-showbiz","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=678258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678258\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/678259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=678258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=678258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=678258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}