Sir Anthony Hopkins earned his first Oscar for the role of serial killer Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Based on the novel by Thomas Harris, it was the last movie to win the ‘Big Five’ awards at the Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Hopkins only had about 16 minutes of screen time.
Hopkins went on to reprise his role in two more films, the sequel Hannibal and the prequel Red Dragon. While the sequel was more commercially successful than the original, the film was not as well-received and the actor himself was reportedly not happy with the film. He also mentioned that one scene in particular on Hannibal was done differently from the book.
Anthony Hopkins Did Not Want To Do One Scene In Hannibal
Sir Anthony Hopkins was known as a noted thespian before he gained worldwide fame when he starred in The Silence of the Lambs. The actor won his first Academy Award for Best Actor for the film, despite only having around 16 minutes of screen time. He co-starred with Jodie Foster in the horror film, who also won the Oscar for Best Actress.
Hannibal Lecter, the role played by Hopkins, is a serial killer and a cannibal, who Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling consults on a similar case of murders. The film sees Starling grow closer to Lecter as he helps her with the case while he tries to escape his captivity in prison. The film is considered to be one of the greatest horror films of all time.
Hopkins returned to the role ten years later in Ridley Scott’s Hannibal. Based on the sequel written by Thomas Harris, the film saw Julianne Moore replacing Foster. The novel reportedly had an out for Hopkins, where Hannibal is said to have done plastic surgery on himself to escape the authorities. However, Hopkins told BBC that he avoided that scene.
Ridley and I agreed to leave the face alone. It’s as if he’s making a statement – ‘catch me if you can’. With his big hat, he’s so obvious that nobody thinks he’s Hannibal Lecter. I’ve always thought he’s a very elegant man, a Renaissance Man.
Hopkins also mentioned that he was not scared of the character as he never felt that he and Hannibal were one. He said that it was Thomas Harris’ creation and was only projected through him.
Anthony Hopkins Regretted Making Sequels As Hannibal Lecter
Since he took on the role of Hannibal Lecter, Anthony Hopkins became a worldwide star and featured in many acclaimed films. His Best Actor win for his very first nomination propelled him to international stardom and his role in The Silence of the Lambs has often been featured on many ‘best-of’ lists as a menacing villain.
Though the sequel Hannibal earned significantly more than the original, Hopkins was reportedly not happy with the decision to return. When asked if he would ever revisit the character again, he said to The Wrap,
I did it once. Made the mistake of doing it twice — three times. ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ is okay. It was a good film. I don’t want to do that. Done with that.
Anthony Hopkins also played the role in the prequel Red Dragon, which is often considered to be a huge step down from its predecessors. He was finally replaced in the film Hannibal Rising and was played by Mads Mikkelsen in the series Hannibal.
The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal are streaming on Fubo TV.
