Anthony Hopkins is legendary for transforming himself for roles, but he was virtually unrecognizable in a photo posted to Instagram on Sunday.
At 88, the double Oscar winner was gearing up to cheer for England as they faced off against Mexico in the World Cup. Accompanied by his wife, Stella Arroyave, who is 70, he posed for a photo, sporting an expression that suggested he was in a lighthearted competitive spirit.
It was clear which team he supported, as he donned the 2026 England jersey. Meanwhile, Arroyave, a native of Colombia, displayed her loyalty by wearing Mexico’s distinctive green jersey.
The image was captioned with the words, ‘We’re all winners… #WorldCup2026.’
Hopkins continues to keep a busy schedule with seven projects in various stages of post-production or pre-production, according to information on IMDb.
Recently marking 48 years of sobriety, Hopkins remains most celebrated for his haunting portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 film “Silence of the Lambs,” a performance that earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Anthony Hopkins was virtually unrecognizable in a photo posted to Instagram on Sunday as he prepared to root for England during the World Cup alongside his wife Stella Arroyave, who cheered for Mexico
The two-time Oscar winner is legendary for transforming himself for roles; pictured in 2001
He revisited the cannibalistic serial killer and former forensic psychiatrist in the sequel Hannibal (2001) and the prequel Red Dragon (2002), which doubled as a remake of Michael Mann’s classic serial-killer thriller Manhunter (1986), in which Succession star Brian Cox played a very different version of Lecter years earlier.
As Stevens in The Remains of the Day (1993), Hopkins delivered an acclaimed performance as the repressed and devoted butler who gives up personal happiness and love to serve his employer, Lord Darlington.
The film also starred Emma Thompson as the estate’s housekeeper, Miss Kenton, whose affections Hopkins’s character couldn’t return until it was too late.
Hopkins won a second Oscar for Best Actor in 2021 for his role in The Father, which costarred Olivia Colman.
He remains active on social media as well, regularly posting updates about his artwork, piano playing, dance moves and culinary creations, or sometimes just cheerful greetings to his fans.
The latest post of him wearing an England shirt caused some debate in the comments, especially given his Welsh roots.
Born in Port Talbot, Wales, Hopkins has expressed nostalgia for his Welsh heritage over the years and continues to support Welsh causes.
‘Take that shirt off Sir… you’re Welsh!’ one fan wrote, while another commented: ‘Olympus has fallen.’
Hopkins is perhaps best known for his iconic role as cannibalistic serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs (1991)
His chilling performance included the line, ‘A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti,’ and earned him his first Best Actor Oscar
In the film The Remains of the Day (1993), Hopkins portrayed a repressed and devoted butler who gives up personal happiness and love with Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) to serve his employer, Lord Darlington
Hopkins often shares entertaining updates about his daily life on social media, but his latest post of him wearing an England shirt caused some debate among followers, especially given his Welsh roots; pictured in 2025
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Should stars stay loyal to their roots or is it fine for celebrities to support teams beyond their homeland?
‘Anthony Hopkins is Welsh, not English,’ a third ventured to say.
‘What are you doing????? You are Welsh,’ another pointed out.
Others defended the actor, saying he was merely enjoying the sport as millions of others were doing around the globe.
England eventually beat Mexico 3–2 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.