10 Best Acting Performances In The Hannibal Lecter Trilogy

Jodie Foster appears in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs as Clarice Starling, an FBI Trainee who is assigned to the incarcerated Hannibal Lecter with the task of probing him for insight and information on the Buffalo Bill case.

She bounces between interactions with the doctor, and working with Jack Crawford, portrayed here by Scott Glenn, in an attempt to catch ‘Buffalo Bill’. Foster is able to perfectly embody the role, at times showing the nervous and timid nature of an FBI Trainee while at others showing her confidence as she grows closer and closer with Lecter.

Her eerie nature perfectly plays off of Anthony Hopkins’ chilling performance as Hannibal during their scenes together. Foster is able to create a sense of disconnect from her emotions and fear of the cannibal, especially during their initial meeting. This shows to the audience Starling's way of attempting to prevent herself from falling into any of Lecter's psychological traps throughout the scene.

Starling eventually shows this fear in her confrontation with Gumb. As the pair are in the basement of Gumb’s house, he plunges them into darkness and proceeds to watch Starling with his night vision goggles. Foster portrays both the fear and determination that Starling feels here. It is Foster’s ability to masterfully display both of these emotions, at times simultaneously, which makes her character stand out among the cast.