Anthony Hopkins won an Academy Award for playing Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs,” but he wishes he hadn’t portrayed the killer again in “Hannibal” and “Red Dragon.”
“I did it once,” Hopkins told TheWrap of his iconic role. “Made the mistake of doing it twice — three times. ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ is okay. It was a good film.”
Asked whether he would ever play Lecter again, Hopkins said simply, “No.” When asked why not, he expressed his regret at having made 2001 sequel, “Hannibal,” and 2002 prequel, “Red Dragon.”
He then added, “I don’t want to do that. Done with that.”
Hopkins spoke with TheWrap following a Television Critics Association panel for his upcoming Starz movie, “The Dresser,” in which he stars alongside Ian McKellen. The movie, adapted from a play by Ronald Harwood, premieres on Starz this summer.
The character of Hannibal Lecter was played most recently by Mads Mikkelsen in the NBC series “Hannibal,” which was canceled last year after three seasons.