In order to recapture the spirit of the first season of True Detective, which starred Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, the new season has gone for the dramatic prowess of Jodie Foster. Foster, who hasn’t worked on the small screen since 1975’s television movie The Secret Life of T.K. Dearing, will star as Ennis police chief Elizabeth Danvers in the Issa López-led season.
And while it’s hard to not compare Denver and her FBI trainee from the 1991 classic that redefined thrillers, Foster assured fans her character in True Detective is a far cry from Clarice.
Danvers Is a Far Cry From Clarice in The Silence of the Lambs Said Jodie Foster
Although the subtle and direct nods to The Silence of the Lambs in True Detective: Night Country are completely intentional on Issa López’s part, Jodie Foster doesn’t see Danvers as similar to Clarice. While in the acclaimed film, which earned Foster her second Best Actress win, Clarice is quiet and reserved and is all about ethics, Danvers, on the other hand, is blunt and very dismissive of emotions.
In the latest issue of Total Film, Foster said,
“Clarice is all about the ethics and she’s quiet and reserved and always doing the right thing, and that is not Danvers. I kind of hope Clarice never got this cynical.”
She described Danvers by stating,
“She’s self-involved and distracted at the same time. I think she’s very dismissive of emotions, emotional people, and doesn’t really understand how the world has changed. And she’s also blunt and tells it like it is, which I always like. She’s a good cop. She has her dirty-cop side, and that’s a good thing and a bad thing in this show.”
But unlike Jodie Foster, the Night Country Creator had no problem highlighting the connections between The Silence of the Lambs and this season, stating it is a natural progression from the film.
Also read: “That’s it. I’m done”: Jodie Foster Has Forbidden Herself From Doing 1 Thing Ever Again in Movies
True Detective: Night Country Embraces the 1991 Classic
Reflecting on the influence of this season, which takes True Detective back to its creepy roots, López explained it was massively influenced by Seven, which is a direct descendant of Silence of the Lambs. The Tigers Are Not Afraid director further stated they aren’t shying away from embracing it, revealing there is a direct nod to the Oscar-winning classic in the show. López explained,
“[Starling’s] just one of these characters. All the lines of that movie just live in my skull. We know the lines, we know the moments, we know the images. And there’s a direct line, I think … ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ mothered [David Fincher’s serial-killer chiller] ‘Se7en,’ and ‘Se7en’ mothered ‘True Detective.’ And this is the child of ‘True Detective.’ So there’s a direct line. That’s why I went directly to the source. And we’re not shying away from it.”
Following its influence from some of the greatest works the genre has to offer in addition to Jodie Foster’s casting, fans will hope Night Country brings back the magic of the first season.
True Detective: Night Country will premiere on Max on 14 January 2024.
