Anthony Hopkins is known for playing Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs. Hopkins once said that he didn’t blink during the film. Why did he try not to blink? Did Hopkins keep his eyelids perfectly still? Here’s what the Showbiz cheat sheet knows.
Anthony Hopkins’ rise to fame
One of Hopkins’ first acting roles was in a 1960 episode of the TV series A Matter of Degree. In 1965, he played Dr. Harding in an episode of The Man in Room 17 entitled “A secondary operation”. Hopkins made his film debut in the 1967 film The white bus.
The following year, Hopkins had his big break when he played against Richard in The Lion in Winter. Some of Hopkins’ other acting roles include appearances in The elephant man (1980), Silence of the Lambs (1991), The remains of the day (1993), Shadowlands (1993), and Westworld (2016-2018).
Anthony Hopkins Movies
At the time of this writing, Hopkins’ highest grossing film is Thor: Ragnarok, with $ 850.4 million in worldwide box office revenue. This includes more than $ 315 million at the national box office and $ 535.4 million internationally.
Other high-grossing films by Hopkins include cannibal (2001), with more than $ 350 million in worldwide box office revenue; Noah (2014), with $ 352.8 million in worldwide box office revenue; and Thor: The Dark World (2013), with $ 644.6 million in worldwide box office revenue.
Anthony Hopkins blinked during ‘The Silence of the Lambs’?
During an interview in The Dick Cavett ShowHopkins says he didn’t blink during the film. Why would he try not to blink? The actor explained that he once met a “madman” while in London. He described the situation as “very scary”.
One thing Hopkins said he noticed about the man was that he didn’t blink. He used his mannerisms as inspiration for his role as Hannibal Lecter. Although Hopkins says he didn’t blink, there are clips from the film that show him blinking. For example, in the video below you can see it flashing rapidly during the 1:37 and 1:44 mark.
Hopkins may not have noticed that he was blinking during that scene. He was probably just as involved in remembering his lines and delivering a convincing dialogue.
Anthony Hopkins in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’
Hopkins’ acting talent did not go unnoticed. He won many awards for his role in The Silence of the Lambs. His awards include a BAFTA, New York Film Critics Circle award, National Board of Review Award, Boston Film Critics Society Award, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award, Saturn Award, an Oscar and Award of the Chicago Film Critics Association.
The Silence of the Lambs grossed $ 275.7 million in worldwide box office revenue. This includes $ 130.7 million at the national box office and $ 145 million internationally.
Follow Sheiresa Ngo no Twitter.