Gary Oldman is virtually unrecognizable in Hannibal, but why did he choose to go uncredited in the movie, and who did he base the character's voice on? Following the runaway success and critical acclaim that greeted The Silence Of The Lambs, it became a given that a sequel would happen eventually. A follow-up spent many years in development hell, as the filmmakers waited on author Thomas Harris to finish work on the sequel novel Hannibal.
The book was eventually published in 1999, though it received something of a mixed response for its baroque violence and controversial ending. Silence Of The Lambs director Jonathan Demme and star Jodie Foster opted out, though Anthony Hopkins returned as the titular refined cannibal. Julianne Moore inherited the role of Clarice Starling, while Ridley Scott took the director's chair. Like the novel, critical reaction was decidedly split on the 2001 movie adaptation, though it scored a tidy sum at the box office.
The main antagonist in Hannibal is Mason Verger, a wealthy former patient of Hannibal who was left badly disfigured and paralyzed by the latter. Mason himself is a total monster too, and while the late Christopher Reeves was briefly interested in the role after it was offered, he turned it down when he read about the character's distasteful history. The great Gary Oldman took on the part, though with the amount of makeup he wears it's nearly impossible to tell. Added to that was his decision to go uncredited for the role, but why did he make that choice?
Co-producer Martha De Laurentiis revealed in a Guardian interview around Hannibal's release that Oldman wanted a prominent credit on the sequel. Since the movie is very much centered around the return of Hannibal and Clarice, this request was denied and Oldman reportedly departed the follow-up for a time. He later came back on the condition he went unbilled, but while he's uncredited on the prints that were shown in theaters, home releases later restored his billing.
Gary Oldman gave his side of the Hannibal credit snafu in 2014 during a conversion with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. When asked about it, Oldman more or less confirms it was a disagreement over billing and his place on the poster. His issue was that the producers wanted him to publicize it - confirming his name meant something to the project - but he was being offered neither the billing nor pay to go along with that request. He also felt it would be fun to go without a credit since the character has no face.
In the same interview, Oldman also revealed the unlikely source of Mason's voice in Hannibal. Prior to shooting he very briefly met author Thomas Harris who spoke to him in a very Mason-like manner. Oldman then swiped Harris' voice for the character, though obviously dialing up the menace a few notches.