Fans will be surprised to hear that Jim Carrey’s comedy film, Ace Ventura, and Anthony Hopkins’ thriller, The Silence of the Lambs, have a weird connection. Hopkins once revealed to Carrey that they had both used the same method to bring their respective characters to the screen. While Carrey’s titular character was an animal detective, Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter was a serial killer who ate his victims.
Hopkins managed to creep out The Mask actor by bringing this up during their dinner conversation. The Thor actor went on to bag the Best Actor Award at the 64th Academy Awards for his performance in the film. Interestingly, Hopkins is not a fan of method acting as he has clearly stated his disdain for it.
Jim Carrey Was Spooked When Anthony Hopkins Shared One Thing Their Characters Had In Common
When Jim Carrey appeared for an interview with Conan on his show, the art on his shirt grabbed the host’s attention. It was his iconic Ace Ventura costume but with the head of a cockatiel. When asked about the art’s significance, Carrey shared that the cockatiel was the inspiration for the character in the film.
Carrey shared that he created the entire character around the smart bird. He even went on to demonstrate how his iconic head movement came from the bird. The actor had an interesting story about the time he revealed this inspiration to Anthony Hopkins. He and Hopkins had a dinner at his home and he told him the story about how the cockatiel influenced Ace Ventura.
Hopkins shared that he too had a similar strategy for Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Hopkins shared that he took inspiration from a crocodile and a spider. He shared that these creatures had infinite patience to just wait for the right time to strike on their prey.
Carrey was creeped out by the actor’s explanation and he shared that he quickly switched the conversation to something else. Carrey shared with Conan:
I once invited Anthony Hopkins over for dinner and he accepted. He came over and we had dinner together and I told him that’s how I approached Ace Ventura, a smart bird. And he went, ‘I do that.’ Hannibal Lecter is a cross between a crocodile and a spider with infinite patience and time to just wait for the perfect moment to strike. Frankly, it got a little creepy, I was like ‘More roast beef, man?
Carrey definitely has an affinity towards method acting, which was seen in his projects from The Truman Show to Showtime’s Kidding. However, Hopkins had openly expressed that he was not a fan.
Anthony Hopkins Went On A Tirade Against Method Actors
During an interview with Huffington Post, Anthony Hopkins opened up about his disdain for method acting. Calling it a “pain in the a**”, Hopkins shared that he was against the idea of putting himself through misery to get the performance right.
He shared that he had worked with actors like that and they were unpleasant to work with. He also added that despite their method acting, he observed these actors to be not that good. He shared that he went out of his way to never work with them again. Hopkins shared with Huffington Post:
Who the hell wants to be with some miserable grump because he wants to get his performance right, so you have to call him this or call him that? It’s so boring. I’ve been with actors like that, and they’re a pain in the a**, they really are.
They’re unpleasant to work with, and I don’t think they’re always that good either. I’ve worked with some awkward customers, fortunately not too many. I go out of my way never to work with them again.
Anthony Hopkins and Jim Carrey collaborated on the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Hopkins was the narrator of the movie, while Carrey played the titular character.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is now available for streaming on TBS, while The Silence of the Lambs is available on Prime Video.
