Anthony Hopkins is an actor who is respected not only in British cinema but also throughout the world. He has established himself as a talented and powerful actor through decades of work and there is no doubt that some of his roles stand out more so than others. He is not only known to play a god in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but also his most iconic role is of a bone-chilling character that no one can forget.
Hopkins’ most significantly charismatic role is that of Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. The way he rose to popularity after playing the cannibalistic serial killer was something no one had seen coming. His performance took the world by storm and it impacted not only those who watched it but also the actor. Surprisingly enough, he understood his character more so than he’d like.
Anthony Hopkins’ Opinion on Hannibal Lecter
Anthony Hopkins is an Oscar-winning actor with a filmography more impressive than most actors. Silence of the Lambs is a film that stands out because of how expressive and interestingly eerie the character of Hannibal Lecter was. Speaking with AARP, the actor expressed just how he managed to give such a powerful performance for such a complex character.
“I have an instinct for those kinds of people,” Hopkins said. “They’re narcissists. I don’t know if that’s in me — I just understand them.”
He stated that there was something about Lecter that he could resonate with and understand. He defined psychopathic characters such as the infamous killer as a narcissist. Although he could not understand in depth as to what made him reenact their lives in such powerful manners, he clarified that to some extent, he understood them in ways he never imagined. That is to say, even Michelle Pfiefer gave up on the movie because she found it to be too evil.
Anthony Hopkins Understood the Weightage of Playing Hannibal Lecter
Comparing Hannibal Lecter to a person with a narcissistic personality, the complexity of his character only increases. Narcissus, before he was cursed to fall in love with himself, was egotistical and conceited. Upon being cursed, the nymph spoke to the gods, ‘So may he love—and never win his love!’ He died in sorrow of his own love, turning into a daffodil in his final moments. They say there is beauty in tragedy.
“I’ll never escape from that guy,” Hopkins stated. “When I started reading The Silence of the Lambs script, I told my agent, ‘This is the part of a lifetime.’ It changed everything for me.”
When talking with AARP, Anthony Hopkins admitted that he understood just how connected he would be to the character if he took the role. When he read the script of The Silence of the Lambs, he knew that Lecter’s shadow was not one he was ever going to escape. The complexity of human nature and the portrayal of their darker sides is not something he is afraid of.
