1. Initially, when the great Anthony Hopkins saw the title, The Silence of the Lambs, on the script, he assumed he was reading for a role in a kid's movie. Boy, was he wrong...
2. Did you know that Hollywood legend, Gene Hackman, was actually the person who first purchased the rights to the film? We would've never had a Hannibal if it weren't for the Hackman!
3. I bet Michelle Pfeiffer & Meg Ryan are still kicking themselves for turning down the role of Clarice Starling all those years ago. I wonder how different the movie would've been with either of those talented women in the driver's seat...
4. Although it seemed like he never left the screen, Anthony Hopkins is only on camera for a touch under 25 minutes. That's it! Wow. He was barely in the movie, yet he still took home the Oscar for Best Actor that year. Now that's talent!
5. In one of the more memorable scenes, Clarice meets with Hannibal and the horrifying prisoner playfully teases her about her southern drawl. Apparently, that entire moment was completely improvised by Anthony Hopkins! Awesome, right?!
It turns out that Foster was horrified by his actions. But she later thanked him for giving her the moment to create such a genuine reaction.
6. During interviews, Mr. Hopkins has said that he used a unique combination of Katharine Hepburn and Truman Capote as his inspiration for the voice of Hannibal Lecter.
7. The famous line, "Hello, Clarice," actually doesn't even exist in the film. Don't worry. Even diehard fans have been known to misquote the "Good evening, Clarice" line. (Can't believe I've been saying it wrong all these years!)
8. Always a master of his craft, Anthony Hopkins took the time to read up on historic serial killers in preparation for the role. He even went as far as sitting in on murder cases that were being tried in court. Now that's commitment.
9. According to the American Film Institute, Hannibal Lecter is considered to be the #1 villain of all time.
10. While other actresses turned down the role due to the subject matter of the film, Halle Berry sincerely tried to earn the role that eventually went to Jodie Foster. While nobody knows for sure why Halle didn't get the job, it's obvious that she would've been amazing as Clarice!
11. The long list of actors that were up for the role of Hannibal Lecter included such famous names as: Patrick Stewart, Robert Duvall, Christopher Lloyd, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson.
12. Jodie Foster was unforgettable as Clarice Starling. She was such a powerful influence, the popular show, The X Files, based their character, Dana Scully, mostly on her. I knew this movie set some trends but this is incredible!
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