Brian Cox expose that he and Anthony Hopkins agreed not to talk about theirHannibal Lecterportrayals inManhunter(1986 ) andThe muteness of the Lambs(1991 ) , severally . Based on the Thomas Harris novel , Hanniba ’s first picture show appearancewas in Michael Mann’sManhunter , which travel along FBI profiler Will Graham ( William Petersen ) as he consults with Lecter to apprehend a killer dubbed the " tooth fairy . " Jonathan Demme’sSilence of the Lambsfeatures a standardized setup , with Jodie Foster ’s Clarice Starling working with Lecter to becharm serial killer Jame Gumb ( Ted Levine ) .

During a recent consultation withTHRin which he attend back at his ten - foresighted career , Cox reflects on playing Hannibal inManhunteronly a few year before Hopkins would take on the same function inTheSilence of the Lambsto much greater acclaim . The worker allege that Hopkins bring the character " brilliantly,“but reveal that he had to be careful about how he regard the pic in house out of reverence of what mass would retrieve :

Well , it ’s a dissimilar character . I mean , it ’s like playing Hamlet . Everybody ’s going to have their own Hamlet . I choose to play it the way the director Michael Mann and I decide to play it . Tony played it brilliantly . I mean , I had to go to Paris to see it because I could n’t bring myself to see it in London [ … ] because people get it on that I was the other Hannibal , and I was worried about them saying , “ You ’re comparing Hannibal Lecters ” and all that .

The-Silence-of-the-Lambs-Hannibal-Lecter

But we played it the way we play it . Tony decided to take it down another route . And of course of action , Tony ’s was a huge success , and he become the Oscar and he made a lot of money out of it . I made something like 10 grand .

We do not discuss it . I ’ll tell you why . I did an consultation with a newspaper , and the newspaper headline in the newspaper was that I was the first Hannibal Lecter . Well , that was dead on target , but it sounded like I was boasting about it and I was n’t . And then I wake up one afternoon and the phone started ringing and all hell broke free .

Tony and I used to partake the same agent , and Tony ’s then - missus rang my agent and suppose , “ Tony ’s a bit disordered about that . ” So I border my federal agent and I articulate , “ Look , I excuse . ” Tony and I have puzzle out together a dyad of prison term since . We never talk about it . And that ’s a rule that we never would .

How Rachel Zegler’s

What Cox & Hopkins' Dual Hannibal Roles Meant For Their Careers

How The Two Films Compare Critically & Commercially

ThoughManhuntermay not be quite as darling as Mann’sHeat(1995 ) orCollateral(2004 ) , it earned confirming reviews from critics at the fourth dimension of its release . alas , as seen in the chart below , it was also a major box office disappointment , failing to make back its fairly lowly $ 15 million budget . Manhuntermay have been Cox ’s first major part , but its failure meant that it was n’t the big open frame he may have been skip for .

Manhunter vs. Silence of the Lambs

Title

Ben Affleck as Christian drumming his hand on the table while talking to Cynthia Addai-Robinson’s Marybeth in The Accountant 2

Rotten Tomatoes Critics ' account

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Est . Budget

Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter juxtaposed with Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal in Silence of the Lambs

Worldwide Box office

Manhunter

94 %

Anthony Hopkins in a prison cell in The Silence of the Lambs

Based on the series of novels by Thomas Harris, Hannibal is a multimedia franchise that centers around the titular charismatic cannibalistic serial killer and the investigators who always remain one step behind him. The first film adaptation of the character came in 1986 with Manhunter, where Brian Cox took on the role, but since then, Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen have taken their turns as the antagonist. Hannibal shot into mainstream success with the Oscar-winning The Silence of the Lambs in 1991 and its subsequent sequels until Bryan Fuller began his adaptation for television.

77 %

$ 15 chiliad

$ 8.6 M

Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter

TheSilence of the Lambs

95 %

$ 19 M

Hannibal Franchise Poster

Based on the series of novels by Thomas Harris, Hannibal is a multimedia franchise that centers around the titular charismatic cannibalistic serial killer and the investigators who always remain one step behind him. The first film adaptation of the character came in 1986 with Manhunter, where Brian Cox took on the role, but since then, Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen have taken their turns as the antagonist. Hannibal shot into mainstream success with the Oscar-winning The Silence of the Lambs in 1991 and its subsequent sequels until Bryan Fuller began his adaptation for television.

$ 272 M

muteness of the Lambs’positive reviews , on the other hand , accompany loge office success . The film was nominated for a totality of seven Oscars and advance five , including Best Picture , Best Actor , Best Actress , Best Director , and Best Original Screenplay . The picture was a far more exculpated win for both Hopkins and Foster , paving the way for future succeeder in Hollywood and beyond in a more analogue fashion .

Gerard Manley Hopkins returned as Hannibal forHannibalandRed Dragon , both of which were n’t as well received .

Movies

Our Take On Cox & Hopkins' Hannibal Performances

They’re Both Impressive For Different Reasons

Though Cox and Hopkins may not talk over their prison term as Hannibal , both are carrying out worth revisiting . Hopkins ' take on the iconic cause of death may be more famous , but Cox ’s is n’t without its strong suit . Cox ’s , in many ways , find like a " realistic " take on what a cannibalistic consecutive grampus might be like , while Hopkins ' plays the character with more staginess . Plus , Mann ’s directing and the synth - weighed down score givesManhuntera completely different and more fashionable atmosphere toSilence of the Lambs .

One of the creepy-crawly and good picture show of all metre , Silence of the Lambs was as creepy backstage . Find out what made it a affright to work on on !

WhichHannibalperformance is better will , of grade , be a matter of personal preference , butHopkins ' take on the lineament is sure to stand up the tryout of fourth dimension more effectivelysimply because of the acclaim he received for it at the time . In any subject , it does n’t seem like Cox and Hopkins will ever be liken notes about their time as the iconic villain .

Hannibal

author : THR

Based on the serial of novel by Thomas Harris , Hannibal is a multimedia enfranchisement that centers around the nominal magnetic cannibalistic serial killer and the investigators who always remain one footfall behind him . The first film adaptation of the character make out in 1986 with Manhunter , where Brian Cox took on the role , but since then , Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen have taken their turns as the antagonist . Hannibal shot into mainstream success with the Oscar - come through The Silence of the Lambs in 1991 and its subsequent sequel until Bryan Fuller began his adaptation for television receiver .

The Silence of the Lambs