Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster starring cult classic ‘Silence of the Lambs’ released in 1991 and has a whopping 8.6 rating on IMDb. Through this film, Director Jonathan Demme gave the world one of the most famous characters till date namely Hannibal Lecter. Fans of the psychological thriller have taken quite interested in the former psychologist turned criminal due to his cannibalistic nature. The film centres on FBI agent and criminologist Clarice Starling who, with the help of serial killer Hannibal, tries to solve another mystery of an unknown killer claiming female lives.
Where they are now
As part of Variety’s Actors on Actors @ Home series, the leads of ‘Silence of the Lambs’ get together and discuss the Oscar-winning film on its 30th anniversary. The reunion between the two started with them being deeply appreciative of each other’s work. Anthony’s recent works include Sony Pictures Classic ‘The Father’ and 2019 film ‘The Two Popes,’ and Foster have an upcoming film in the works titled ‘The Mauritanian’. The two have not just been incredible actors but also directed a few films such as Hopkins’ ‘August’ (1996) and Foster’s ‘Money Monster’ (2016).
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Remembering their days on the sets of ‘Silence of the Lambs’
Finally, the two speak on the topic of the hour, their film ‘Silence of the Lambs,’ which Jodie goes on to say she is very proud of. They begin by dearly remembering late director Jonathan Demme and how when he first received the script of the film, Hopkins assumed it’s a children’s story. He confessed that the script’s first ten pages were enough to convince him to take on the role. Anthony praises Jodie’s character of an FBI agent who makes being able to relate deeply to the killer’s victims, her strength and that is why even the cannibal criminal Lecter respects her.
Why the film redefined greatness
The brilliance of the award-winning film lies in the fact that fans are torn between their appreciation for Lecter’s genius and his criminal mentality. The character was not a black or white one. It remained in a grey area and left the audience in splits. It retained recognition enough to have three follow-up movies joining the Hannibal Lecter film series- ‘Hannibal’ (2001), which was a sequel to ‘Silence of the Lambs,’ ‘Red Dragon’ (2002), and Hannibal Rising (2007) that were both prequels.