Actors Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster have only worked together in director Jonathan Demme’s 1991 movie The Silence of the Lambs. It’s safe to say that Foster was sure that she would never work with Hopkins again because of this one incident on the sets. In Hopkins’ defense, it was an honest opinion.

The actress once recalled that there is a scene in the movie where Hopkins made fun of her West Virginia accent on the sets, the scene was not in the script and was improvised. The Silence of the Lambs of a massive hit, popularising Hopkins and Foster among a wider audience. It was adapted from Thomas Harris’s novel of the same name and received praise for staying true to its material.

Anthony Hopkins making fun of Jodie Foster’s accent in The Silence of the Lambs was improvised

Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Actress Jodie Foster once revealed that her The Silence of the Lambs co-star, Anthony Hopkins, improvised by making fun of her accent in the movie. She recalled (via MasterClass),

“There is a moment in The Silence of the Lambs where Lecter makes fun of Clarice’s accent and that was not rehearsed. That was just something that Anthony Hopkins came up with. I was an actress, learining how to speak in a West Virginia accent, and when I heard him make fun of my accent, it really made me mad.”

Foster’s reaction in the film was genuine since it was an unexpected attack. She reportedly later thanked Hopkins for such an honest reaction.

Jodie Foster was disappointed that she couldn’t do anything about it

Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Foster further explained that it was disappointing to see that Hopkins made fun of something she worked so hard on. On top of that, she couldn’t do anything about it,

“It’s an interesting thing that happens, I think that you can feel that, you can feel this kind of shame of having tried so hard to be something and having someone humiliate you and not being able to do anything aboit it, because you’re smaller, more fragile, and you’re scared.”

While this one incident was quite humiliating, the movie significantly contributed to making Foster a worldwide sensation as it created bigger opportunities for her.

The Silence of the Lambs was a massive hit

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs revolves around the character of Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), a young and determined FBI trainee, who is assigned to interview the brilliant but insane psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), as Starling seeks Lecter’s insights to capture another deranged serial killer.

The film was so massive that The Silence of the Lambs still continues to influence the cinema today. The film grossed roughly $272.7 million worldwide on a $19 million budget, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1991 worldwide. It also earned several awards at the 64th Academy Awards in major categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress.