Sir Anthony Hopkins has vehemently denied long-standing rumours of a feud with his The Silence of the Lambs co-star, Jodie Foster, dismissing the speculation as nothing more than 'publicity crap'.
The 'Publicity Crap' Dismissal
The Oscar-winning actor, who famously portrayed the cannibalistic Dr Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 horror-thriller, addressed the gossip directly on a recent episode of the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast. Hopkins refuted claims that the two actors did not speak during the film's production.
'I met Jodie, and she was very nice,' Hopkins stated. 'There’s quotes that Jodie never spoke to me. That’s not true. We were quite friendly. There’s nothing spooky about it. That’s publicity crap.'
A Chilling On-Set Atmosphere
The rumours appear to have been fuelled over the years by Foster's own admissions that she was intimidated by Hopkins' immersive and chilling performance. In a 2021 interview with Variety, Foster described a palpable distance that developed after their first script read-through.
'We didn’t speak too much before the actual read-through [of the script],' she recalled. 'And as you launched into Hannibal Lecter, I felt a chill come over the room. In a way, it was like we were almost too scared to talk to each other after that.'
This sentiment was echoed back in 2016 during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, where Foster simply declared, '[I] never spoke to [Hopkins]. He was scary.'
Clarification in a New Memoir
Hopkins has been promoting his new memoir, We Did OK, Kid, which delves into his life and career. Within its pages, he touches upon his professional relationship with Foster, acknowledging the unique dynamic that the powerful script created.
He writes that they both felt 'a strange sense of distance during the shoot, due no doubt to the power of that script, which had us playing a cat-and-mouse game'. However, he is keen to clarify that any distance was purely a product of their intense roles and not a reflection of any personal animosity.
Hopkins confirms that in the years since the film's release, the pair have always been amicable whenever their paths have crossed. The 1991 film was a monumental success, earning both Hopkins and Foster Academy Awards for their iconic performances.
