The Silence of the Lambs is one of those films that has gone down in film history as being both iconic and truly disturbing. In large part this is because of Anthony Hopkins’ indelible portrayal of the character Hannibal Lecter. Of course, the film hasn’t aged well in some ways, particularly since its representations of gender and sexuality seem very dated.
That’s exactly why it’s a fascinating mental exercise to think about how one would go about recasting the film so that it was more reflective of the world as it exists today, with actors and actresses who would do new and different things with their characters.
Clarice Starling - Carrie Coon
Clarice Starling is the ideal of a female detective. She’s smart and relentless, and it’s precisely these qualities that allow her to really match wits with Hannibal. At the same time, she has a compelling backstory, and yet she also remains something of an enigma. This is precisely why Carrie Coon, who did such a fantastic job in a similar role in the third season of Fargo, would make the perfect person to play this role in a revamped film.
Hannibal Lecter - Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans has had a very varied film career, and he’s played all sorts of roles. There’s something vaguely melancholic about him, and there is often an edge to the characters that he plays, almost as if there’s a powerful violence just waiting to break out. These are traits that would allow him to slip into the character of Hannibal Lecter, definitely one of the most compelling and viscerally challenging villains to have ever appeared in a film. If anyone could follow the great Anthony Hopkins, it would be Ifans.
Jack Crawford - Robert Redford
Jack Crawford is one of those secondary characters that still manages to play a prominent part in the film (and in its legacy). He seems to be one of those career law enforcement officers that really does take his job seriously. Robert Redford is, of course, a giant of the cinema, and he’s shown time and again that he can play all sorts of roles. Casting him as Jack Crawford would give this role a little more weight than it has in the original film.
Buffalo Bill - Robert Pattinson
This would be one of the most challenging roles to cast, in part because of the ways in which the collective understanding of gender has changed since 1991. For this reason, it would make sense to cast someone like Robert Pattinson in the role.
Robert Pattinson has already shown that he has quite a bit of versatility when it comes to the types of roles that he plays, and if anyone could play a deranged serial killer who’s trying to make a suit out of human skin, it would be him.
Dr. Frederick Chilton - Michael Fassbender
Though Hannibal is a villain in his own way, the film’s true antagonist is Dr. Frederick Chilton, who is incredibly cynical and cunning (though he ultimately gets outwitted by Lecter). The person who would play this role today would have to be someone with quite a lot of screen presence and the ability to be a complete jerk. Fassbender has shown time and again that he has the chops to play a great villain, so he would be perfect in this role.
Senator Ruth Martin - Annette Benning
The character of Senator Martin isn’t a terribly prominent one in the film, and she occupies only a very small amount of screen time. However, since it’s her daughter that's been kidnapped, it ends up being a very crucial role, meaning that the woman chosen to play her has to have a certain gravitas. Annette Benning is just the kind of person that one would want in this role and, considering that she’s already played a senator (Diane Feinstein), she would make the most out of this character.
Catherine Martin - Rebel Wilson
Catherine Martin also doesn’t have a lot of screen time but, considering the fact that she’s the most recent of Buffalo Bill’s intended victims, she really is an important character. Now, it is true that Rebel Wilson is best known for her comedic roles, and no one can play them quite like she can.
However, casting her in this role would give her an opportunity to really work outside of her comfort zone and perhaps inject a lighter touch into the film as a whole.
Lieutenant Boyle - Ben Mendelsohn
Lieutenant Boyle is another of those secondary characters that manages to make the most out of the limited time that he appears. Like so many of the other people in the film, he underestimates Lecter and ends up paying for that mistake with his life. Ben Mendelsohn would be a good fit for this role, because he’s shown time and again that, while he has what it takes to be a leading man, he’s also very good in supporting roles.
Barney Matthews - Giancarlo Esposito
Those who have seen this film know that Barney is one of the few people who seem to treat Hannibal with anything even remotely resembling respect (not that Hannibal deserves it, necessarily, considering all of the terrible things he’s done). Thus, it’s a role that requires a certain sensitivity. Giancarlo Esposito has shown, repeatedly, that he has a tremendous amount of range as an actor, so it’s very easy to see him sliding into this role and giving his all.
Sergeant Pembry - Andrew Garfield
Sergeant Pembry is another of those who think that they are smarter and stronger than Lecter. He’s not necessarily the worst person in the film, but it’s his arrogance that ultimately proves to be his undoing. While Garfield might be a bit of a big name for such a small part, it’s very likely that he would bring a touch of sensitivity, and maybe even tragedy, to the portrayal of this supporting character.