- Anthony Hopkins, 86, amassed over 3.4 million followers by posting videos of himself goofing around.
- It was his wife Stella Arroyave and his niece who encouraged him to join TikTok.
Anthony Hopkins may be seared into our minds as Hannibal Lector from "The Silence of the Lambs," but he's just a cheery, 86-year-old man making wholesome videos on TikTok.
He doesn't post often, but he's built a 3.4 million-strong following since making his debut on the platform in May 2020 by participating in Drake's "Toosie Slide" dance challenge.
Sure, Charlie D'Amelio has 151.7 million TikTok followers, and Khaby Lame has 161.6 million, but do their videos feature a two-time Oscar winner looking silly with chopsticks stuck on his chin or cackling like an evil villain while dressed as Santa Claus?
In a new interview with People, the actor shared that his wife Stella Arroyave and his niece were the ones who encouraged him to post on TikTok — and it seems like his fans and other TikTok users love it.
One of his more recent videos, an eight-second clip of him dancing in his kitchen, has already garnered over 22.6 million views since it was uploaded in November.
@anthonyhopkins Hey goomba do you like how I dance the rumba…? Sunday vibe
♬ original sound - Anthony Hopkins
"Hey goomba do you like how I dance the rumba…? Sunday vibe," Hopkins writes in his caption, accompanied by pizza and pasta emojis.
But it's not all about being goofy in his videos.
In his latest upload from three days ago, Hopkins can be seen strolling in a park while reciting a verse from "The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock," a poem by T. S. Eliot.
@anthonyhopkins Taking a stroll on this winter day in London. There’s something beautiful and melancholic about the light here at this time of year.
♬ original sound - Anthony Hopkins
"Taking a stroll on this winter day in London. There's something beautiful and melancholic about the light here at this time of year," Hopkins writes in his caption.
Despite the zealous response to his videos, Hopkins admits to People he's "slightly reluctant" to film those videos whenever he's asked to.
"I say, 'Oh no, not again,'" Hopkins said. "But I do something silly because we need humor. We need a laugh in life. For good reason, I guess. Life is tough. The world is a savage place, but life has its beauty."
He added he tries to adopt a youthful attitude in his life.
"I try not to act my age," Hopkins said. "I'm 86. So I've reversed it. I'm 68, really."