The Silence of the Lambs star Ted Levine has addressed the film’s complicated legacy surrounding its themes of gender.
The 1991 Oscar-winning horror classic starred Jodie Foster as young FBI student Clarice, who seeks the insight of brilliant psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), imprisoned for violent murders. She consults him regarding the case of Buffalo Bill (Levine), a prolific serial killer who lures and skins women to create a “woman suit” in pursuit of female transformation.
Reflecting on the film’s relevance 35 years later, Levine, 68, acknowledged in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter: “There are certain aspects of the movie that don’t hold up too well.”
“We all know more, and I’m a lot wiser about transgender issues. There are some lines in that script and movie that are unfortunate,” he added.
Among the lines most often cited as transphobic is Hannibal’s attempt to characterize Buffalo Bill’s crimes: “Billy hates his own identity,” he tells Clarice, “and he thinks that makes him a transsexual, but his pathology is a thousand times more savage and more terrifying.”
Levine said that at the time of filming, he had no concerns. However, over the years, after having worked with trans people, he’s become more understanding of the “culture and the reality of the meaning of gender.”
“It’s unfortunate that the film vilified that, and it’s f***ing wrong,” the actor said, later, clarifying, “I didn’t play him as being gay or trans. I think he was just a f***ed-up heterosexual man. That’s what I was doing.”
Edward Saxon, one of the film’s producers, also spoke about the character of Buffalo Bill, insisting: “As we made the film, there was just no question in our minds that Buffalo Bill was a completely aberrant personality — that he wasn’t gay or trans. He was sick.”
However, he acknowledged: “To that extent, we missed it. From my point of view, we weren’t sensitive enough to the legacy of a lot of stereotypes and their ability to harm.”
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The character of Buffalo Bill is based on infamous murderer and grave robber Ed Gein, known for killing at least two women and exhuming the graves of women who reminded him of his dead mother to collect human remains to fashion into various furniture and clothing.
Directed by Jonathan Demme, The Silence of the Lambs went on to make Oscar history as the first horror film, and third film overall, to sweep the “Big Five” categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Hopkins), Best Actress (Foster), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally). It still remains the only horror film to ever win Best Picture.
