- - Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins' Career-Defining Roles in “The Silence of the Lambs” Almost Went to These Other Hollywood Stars

Tereza ShkurtajFebruary 14, 2026 at 7:00 AM

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Jodie Foster; Anthony Hopkins.

Kevin Winter/Getty; David Livingston/Getty

Before Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster made Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling iconic, a few other actors were considered for their parts inThe Silence of the Lambs

At the time, big names like Gene Hackman, Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer all passed on the roles, leaving the project in search of the right cast

In the end, Hopkins and Foster stepped in to deliver award-winning performances

The Silence of the Lambs is now synonymous with Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling, but the film’s path to greatness was anything but straightforward.

Before it became a cultural phenomenon, the project circulated through Hollywood, unnerving directors and scaring off major stars. Its mix of psychological horror and moral darkness made it a risky proposition at a time when few wanted to be associated with a serial killer story told so intimately.

“It reminded of how the science fiction genre was as dead as a door nail…until George Lucas made Star Wars. Then one day, my colleague Fred Specktor asks, 'Are the rights still available? Gene Hackman wants to buy them,'” producer Bob Bookman told Deadline in a 2016 interview.

“Gene called a good friend, Arthur Krim at Orion [Pictures], and they bought it together, 50/50 partners. Gene wanted to direct and play Hannibal Lecter," he added.

Gene Hackman; Anthony Hopkins; Sean Connery.

Evan Agostini/Getty; Daniele Venturelli/Getty for The Red Sea International Film Festival; Stephen Shugerman/Getty for AFI

At that point, The Silence of the Lambs seemed destined to become a Hackman vehicle, with one of Hollywood’s most respected actors steering the film both in front of and behind the camera — until one opinion allegedly changed his mind.

“I get a call from Fred saying, 'You won’t believe this. Gene Hackman’s daughter read the book. And she called her father and said, "Daddy, you’re not making this movie,"’” Bookman claimed. “So, Gene called Arthur, told him what happened. Arthur said, ‘Don’t worry, Gene, I’ll buy out your half.’ That’s how Orion got the rights."

With Hackman gone, the search for a director and leading man continued, and the hesitation around the project didn’t ease. When Jonathan Demme signed on to direct, even he initially looked elsewhere for his Hannibal Lecter. One name stood above the rest — and it wasn’t Hopkins.

“Sean Connery was the only other person I thought could be amazing for this. Connery has that fierce intelligence and also that serious physicality. I love Tony Hopkins, but Sean Connery could be amazing,” Demme told Deadline.

“So to take the most commercial path, because Connery was flying very high at the time, we sent the script to Sean Connery first,” he added. “Word came back shortly that he thought it was disgusting and wouldn’t dream of playing that part.”

Connery’s rejection underscored the central problem plaguingThe Silence of the Lambs: its darkness was simply too much for many to embrace. Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman were all also reportedly in talks for the role before it ultimately went to Hopkins.

Jodie Foster; Michelle Pfeiffer.

Marc Piasecki/WireImage; Michael Loccisano/Getty

That hesitation, however, wasn’t limited just to the role of Lecter. The part of Clarice Starling – an FBI trainee navigating a world of male authority and moral ambiguity – also made at least one major actress uneasy.

While speaking with The New Yorker in a 2021 interview about her illustrious career, Michelle Pfeiffer recalled being asked to star in The Silence of the Lambs, but revealed that she passed on the opportunity due to the film's "evil" plotline.

"With Silence of the Lambs, I was trepidatious," the Scarface actress told the outlet. "There was such evil in that film."

Pfeiffer pointed to the project’s ending as the biggest turn-off for her at the time. "It was that evil won in the end, that at the end of that film, evil ruled out,” she explained. “I was uncomfortable with that ending. I didn't want to put that out into the world."

Similarly, Meg Ryan also passed on the role, once saying she felt it was too "dark," and she didn't want to "be in that arena for a few months."

Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in 'The Silence of the Lambs.'

Orion Pictures

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Those rejections, however, ultimately opened the door for two performances that would redefine careers.

The roles of Lecter and Starling went to Hopkins and Foster, whose work propelled The Silence of the Lambs to become what it is today, still a cultural touchstone 35 years later.

Their performances didn’t just anchor the film – they elevated it, earning both actors Academy Awards at the 1992 Oscars.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”