TuesdayFeb022021
Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) — Michelle Pfeiffer is known for choosing her roles carefully, but she admits there is one part that she still kicks herself for not taking. The acclaimed actress opened up in a candid new interview about one of her biggest regrets — passing down the chance to star in Silence of the Lambs.
"With Silence of the Lambs, I was trepidatious. There was such evil in that film," Pfeiffer told The New Yorker in a Monday chat. "It was that evil won in the end, that at the end of that film evil ruled out."
The actress said the reason she initially decided against starring as FBI agent Clarice Starling in the 1991 film was because "I was uncomfortable with that ending. I didn’t want to put that out into the world."
Silence of the Lambs, which starred Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster as Clarice, raked in an impressive $272 million during its box office run and went onto snag seven Academy Award nominations — winning five of them. It also took home a Golden Globe and a bevy of other honors, cementing its status of one of the greatest films of all time.
However, Pfeiffer admits she doesn't regret turning down the acclaimed movie because of its success. "The thing I most regret is missing the opportunity to do another film with Jonathan [Demme]," the 62-year-old confessed.
Pfeiffer says before the late director tapped her to star in his 1988 flick Married to the Mob, she was typically typecast in movies as the "arm candy."
"I’m forever grateful to Jonathan Demme. He had no reason to believe I could do that," she recalled. "It’s so sad to me that he’s no longer with us."
Demme died in 2017 at the age of 73.
By Megan Stone
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