Sir Anthony Hopkins fans were left stunned as the acclaimed actor looked unrecognizable in a picture he posted to celebrate England’s World Cup win over Mexico.
Taking to Instagram, the 88-year-old acting legend shared a picture of himself wearing an English football team shirt, sitting beside his 70-year-old wife, who appeared to be supporting the rival Mexico.
Hopkins captioned, “We’re all winners… #WorldCup2026.”
However, it wasn’t just the Three Lions jersey that caught his fans attention as many eagle eyed admirers noted his look to be different than usual. Hopkins appeared much leaner with a full white beard and thinner face.
But most of the reaction focused on something else entirely: why the Welsh-born actor was cheering for England.
Hopkins was born in Margam, near Swansea in South Wales and has often spoken fondly about his Welsh roots. It appears that since Wales and Scotland did not qualify for this year’s FIFA tournament, the actor simply picked the nearest home nation still in the tournament.
The comment section of his Instagram post quickly filled with humorous backlash as one of the fans wrote the actor should take the shirt off since he’s Welsh. Another asked where his Welsh top was.
In addition to enjoying the sport showdown, Hopkins remains active in Hollywood at 88, with seven films currently in the works. He won two Academy Awards for playing Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, and became the oldest actor ever to win a Best Actor Oscar for his role in The Father in 2020.
2026-07-07 21:27:00
