Actors can be pretty fickle. Trust me, I speak as one gazing out from the inside. I’ve done my share of acting; granted, not on the same level of success as Sir Anthony Hopkins. And I’ve associated with scores of others, perhaps as MANY as Sir Anthony; whether these were unpaid “amateurs” or starving up-and-comers notwithstanding. Actors are actors, and they’re all fickle. An actor can view as a failure what others, what fans, view as his greatest work. And an actor can feel his greatest work is something outsiders regard as his weakest. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me to hear that Mr. Hopkins regrets playing his most iconic role, Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter, more than once. He shouldn’t, but he does.
Hopkins describes THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS as “okay.” This movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture and is held as a modern classic by both critics (And to get a mainstream critic to praise a Horror movie is a feat indeed!) and fans alike. But it’s “okay.” The guy judges himself much too harshly. Both RED DRAGON and HANNIBAL, while not quite rising to the standards of LAMBS—And really, how could they?—are nevertheless both solid efforts. They’re good films. But if LAMBS is just “okay,” then . . . Oh, well. It’s not like Hopkins could reprise the role now, even if he were willing. He’s gotten too old.