"Silence of the Lambs" Stars Reveal Surprising On-Set Relationship

In a recent interview, acclaimed actor Anthony Hopkins has dismissed the idea that he and his "The Silence of the Lambs" co-star Jodie Foster had any kind of feud or animosity while making the iconic 1991 thriller. Hopkins explains that the two were actually quite friendly, contrary to previous reports.

While Hopkins and Foster did intentionally keep their distance during filming to maintain the intensity of their characters—with Hopkins playing the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter and Foster as the FBI agent Clarice Starling—the actors say they had a warm relationship off-screen. In fact, Hopkins notes that Foster seemed immediately struck by his chilling performance, with one of the producers exclaiming "Holy Moses, Tony, what is that?" after the first script reading, to which Foster replied, "You're scary."

The two actors also admit to feeling a "strange sense of distance" during the shoot due to the power of the script, but have since maintained a close friendship, greeting each other with "great warmth" in the years since the film's release. The Silence of the Lambs went on to become a major critical and commercial success, winning five Academy Awards including Best Actor for Hopkins.