Anthony Hopkins Talks ‘Westworld’ and ‘Silence of The Lambs’ With the HFPA

Anthony Hopkins. In this episode, Hopkins looks back on his iconic role as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, speaks about his “odd” relationship with co-star Jodie Foster, and gives his brutally honest opinion on actors as a whole.

In this latest conversation, the Oscar-winner discusses how he improvised Hannibal Lecter’s infamous salivating sound in Silence of the Lambs, “I put that in on that day on the film set with Jodie Foster. I did that as an improv just in that moment, I didn’t intend to do it…. I didn’t intend it to become a centerpiece. It’s all an accident… I know what’s creepy, not because I’m creepy, but I do know what’s creepy. There’s something about, in my nature, something in my dark, subconscious mind I guess, that knows what’s creepy, what scares people. Quietness really scares people. Holding a stare scares people. And the quieter you get the more frightening you become.”

Hopkins also talks about his relationship with Jodie Foster on set, “We never spoke. Not really. We didn’t have time because I was stuck behind the glass wall. We were friendly. But, you know, when you come off a set, you have a cup of tea together. It’s pretty odd too, you threaten to kill something and then you have a cup of coffee in the break.”

He now stars on the HBO hit series Westworld and says,  “Most of my work was done with Jeffrey Wright. That was terrific. I found it very difficult to understand what the scenes were about, so I learned my lines, showed up and… tried to look intelligent.”

He is renowned for keeping his social life, private. On that subject, he says,  “I don’t feel I belong in the acting profession. Don’t have any friends who are actors, not one single friend. I like working with them, but I don’t want anything to do with the social aspect of it… I mean, I have friends. I don’t mean that, you know… I’m friendless or I’m a monk. But… for example, in this business… ‘let’s all go out and have dinner!’… ‘No thanks, I’m going home.’”

Take a listen below: