Anthony Hopkins reveals that he thought 'The Silence of the Lambs' was a children's movie

Veteran actor Anthony Hopkins recently revealed that when he was offered the script of The Silence of the Lambs, the movie which earned him an Oscar for Best Actor, he thought it was a children's story. Interestingly, Anthony's revelation came after he appeared on Variety's Actors on Actors series, along with his The Silence of the Lambs co-star Jodie Foster. In their brief conversation, the actors also reminisced about their time working on the movie.

Anthony Hopkins speak on The Silence of the Lambs

While recalling the old days, the veteran actor said that he was in the London production of the play M. Butterfly, when his agent sent him the script of The Silence of the Lambs. And, later when his agent insisted him to give it a read while revealing the title of the film to him, Anthony asked him if it is a children's story. Anthony further added that the script arrived on a hot summer afternoon and in no time he started reading it. 

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Hopkins recalled that after reading the first ten pages of the script, he called his agent to verify if it was an actual offer. Anthony said that he believed The Silence of the Lambs was the best part he has ever read during those days. He further added that later he had dinner with director Jonathan Demme and signed the film. While expressing gratitude towards his luck, Hopkins praised the director and said that he was a wonderful guy to work with. 

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Interestingly, both Hopkins and Foster took home Oscars for Best Actor and Actress, respectively, for their performances in the movie, which is till date considered one of the greatest and influential films of all time. In the film, Hopkins played serial killer Hannibal Lector. The 1991 classic had swept the top five Academy Awards a year later.

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The Silence of the Lambs plot

The psychological horror revolves around a young F.B.I. cadet, who receives the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer. The film, reportedly, garnered a positive response. The IMDb score of it is 8.6, currently. 

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