10 Awesome Movie Characters Everybody Forgot Was Recast

Though everybody remembers Anthony Hopkins' performance from The Silence of the Lambs, the main star of the film was undoubtedly Jodie Foster who portrayed FBI Agent Clarice Starling. She became the focus of Hannibal Lecter's attention and would continue to be drawn into his world in the film's sequels.

Silence of the Lambs came out in 1986, and while it took until 2001 for its sequel Hannibal to be made, Foster was available to return. Ultimately, she chose not to come back for the sequel, which did feature Hopkins in the titular role.

Starling ended up being played by Julianne Moore, and while she gave a great performance, it would have been amazing to see Foster return for the part. As it happens, she had a good reason for not coming back to play Starling in the sequel, and it has more to do with the book than the film.

In the book, Starling's character arc takes a strange turn when she and Lecter run off together and become lovers. While this ultimately didn't happen in the movie, Foster felt the character wasn't someone she wanted to play anymore based on what she read in the book, leaving the door open for Moore to take over.