Anthony Hopkins recently reflected on his role as Dr. Enter Hannibal Lecter The silence of the lambs.
The 88-year-old Welsh actor spoke to PEOPLE magazine following the release of his 1991 psychological horror thriller film, directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally.
Hopkins told the outlet, “I enjoyed playing Lecter.”
The silence of the lambs is based on Thomas Harris’ bestselling 1988 novel, which he landed after being passed over by a host of actors.
Lecter, a psychiatrist and psychotic cannibal, was sent to prison for his crimes, but the FBI recruits him to better analyze other serial killers, especially their patterns in their crimes.
Instead of thinking for days about whether he should play the role, Hopkins followed his instincts to develop his character, especially in the intense scenes he shot with Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, a passionate FBI trainee who learns from a man she fears.
The Red Dragon star joked: “You can’t play evil to portray evil. If you do, it becomes a mockery.”
“This was the best, most controlled work I’ve done,” he said, adding that “the part jumped straight from the script into my mind.”
“I immediately knew Lecter’s voice, what he looked like. I understood his complexity. It was easy. I used to struggle with acting. Now I just learn my lines, show up and do it. No need to torture myself,” Hopkins said.
