10 Best Acting Performances In The Hannibal Lecter Trilogy
7. Julianne Moore as Clarice Starling
Julianne Moore appears in 2001’s Hannibal as FBI Agent Clarice
Starling, replacing Jodie Foster after she decline to reprise her role from
1991’s ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. Moore was actually recommended for the part
by Anthony Hopkins himself, which certainly seems like a high seal of approval.
Moore’s portrayal of the character is significantly different than that of
Fosters, with the timid determination Foster gave to the character replaced
with a sense of vulnerability.
In the opening scene Starling is tasked with taking down Evelda Drumgo, played by Hazelle Goodman, in a drug raid that goes wrong. She is blamed for the botching of the drug raid, which ultimately take a toll on her mental state. This is further hindered as she is reintroduced to Hannibal Lecter after receiving a letter from her former acquaintance.
Moore only truly gets to embrace the character in the film’s final act, as the first two acts mostly centre on Giancarlo Giannini’s Rinaldo Pazzi and Lecter in Florence. By the time Starling becomes more central to the plot, Moore feels overshadowed by Hopkins’ ever-stunning performance.
The scenes which feature the pair often see her taking a back seat to Lecter, with Starling almost taking the part of damsel in distress. While Moore’s performance is certainly solid, the character she plays has a very apparent disconnect to that of Foster's.