When This Actor Bagged An Oscar For His 16-minute Performance In The Silence Of The Lambs

Last Updated:November 25, 2024, 5:31 PM IST

Anthony Hopkins played the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a cannibalistic serial killer alongside Jodie Foster’s FBI agent.

It is not every day that an actor makes a brief appearance in a film and bags the coveted Oscar. Well, we do have a few such names. Anthony Hopkins delivered an Oscar-winning 16-minute appearance in Jonathan Demme’s crime thriller The Silence of the Lambs. Hopkins stepped into the shoes of cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, delivering a chilling performance that remains fresh in the audiences’ minds.

With a performance full of rich details and a captivating screen presence, Hopkins won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Sharing the screen with Jodie Foster’s FBI rookie Clarice Starling, the duo truly stole the show, with the latter also winning the Best Actress Award.

Despite the mere 16 minutes of screen time, Hopkins gave one of his finest performances with the character. The highlights still include the parts where the actor brought improvisation with Lecter making fun of Foster’s accent and a now-iconic moment with a bone-chilling hiss on an inhaling breath, implying the character’s memory of his victim.

The unpredictability along with the improvisation truly contributed to the character’s fear factor, likely leading to the success of the film.

The Silence of the Lambs Achievements

The Silence of the Lambs is based on Thomas Harris’ best-selling book, following a young FBI agent tasked with getting inside the head of a serial killer, Dr Hannibal (Hopkins), and catching another vicious murderer. In theatres in February 1991, it was an instant Hollywood hit, grossing over $270 million globally, a major collection for an R-rated feature at the time. Later, at the 1992 Academy Awards, the film took home the five biggest awards.

While Hopkins and Foster bagged the Best Actor and Best Actress trophies, it also clinched the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. In a conversation with Variety, Hopkins opened up about his character and said, “I knew what the character looked like. The voice had come on the first reading.” Elsewhere in the conversation, Foster explained that the voice of her character came as she was somebody that has been scarred by the bleeding of the lambs, their screams, and how there was nothing to do. “My mom said to me, ‘Why do you want to play this character who’s kind of quiet and mousy?'” she said.

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