Sir Anthony Hopkins is a prolific actor and has proven his mettle as a performer with his various stage and screen endeavors. His most iconic role remains the cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the Best Picture-winning horror film The Silence of the Lambs. Hopkins won his first Oscar for the film, despite limited screen time.
Hopkins’ performance was nothing short of legendary and he is often synonymous with Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Years later, Mads Mikkelsen took on the role in the NBC procedural TV series Hannibal. Mikkelsen mentioned that it was impossible to do what Hopkins did in the films, and he had to find a new way to portray the character.
Mads Mikkelsen had the impossible task of living up to Anthony Hopkins’ performance in Hannibal
Sir Anthony Hopkins, though, may have defined the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, was not the first actor to portray the role. In fact, it was Succession’s Brian Cox who played the deranged psychiatrist for the first time in Michael Mann’s Manhunter, which was also the first adaptation of Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon. Though it flopped, it developed a cult following.
Hopkins owned the role in The Silence of the Lambs. The role won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, with the film itself being the only horror film to date to win Best Picture. His performance was menacing yet suave and flirtatious. His interactions with Agent Clarice always had a hint of respect and admiration towards her while still being intimidating and opportunistic.
Hopkins also reprised the role in two sequels and cemented himself as the definitive actor to portray Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Hence, Mads Mikkelsen, who played Dr. Hannibal in the NBC series, had to do something different. He said (via EW),
We cannot do what Hopkins was doing. I can’t stand and do the tongue thing. I can’t do that. I have to be as honest as possible when I’m with Jack and with Will. In the private moments, on the other hand, that’s a different thing. Then I can be who I am.
Mikkelsen mentioned that he strayed away from emulating Hopkins’ performance and worked around making the characters find him interesting rather than the audience.
Mads Mikkelsen had to be convinced by Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller to take up the role
While he was a legend in the Dutch film industry, Mads Mikkelsen became known as the go-to antagonist for Hollywood. He played Le Chiffre in the James Bond film Casino Royale. His recent roles included Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Dr. Jurgen Voller in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
When he was approached by showrunner Bryan Fuller to play Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Mikkelsen was reportedly apprehensive. Though he was impressed with the script, the popularity of the character put him off a bit, and he needed to know Fuller’s vision for Hannibal. He said,
I read the script and I liked it, but I really had to hear the pitch, which took Bryan [Fuller] a couple of hours — he was pitching through season 28 or something! Bryan is a fantastic, energetic man, and brilliant, brilliant brain, and I realized, ‘Yeah, we might be able to do something different because Hannibal can’t play all his cards as he can in prison.’
The actor revealed that the secretive layer of performance in this version of the character is what convinced him to play the role.
Hannibal is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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