Hannibal the Cannibal: respected Baltimore psychiatrist turned serial killer, and enduring pop-culture icon. The character created by Thomas Harris has been played as a supernatural entity, possibly even the Devil himself, by Mads Mikkelsen; and as a human-shaped hock of ham by Anthony Hopkins. However, the first screen portrayal was by Brian Cox in the 1986 film Manhunter.
Speaking about his performance as Lecter (or Lecktor, as he is re-named in Michael Mann’s movie), Cox said:
“Hannibal felt like a very dangerous, plausible individual. I remember seeing these films of Ted Bundy, and thinking about the highly delusional way these people see themselves.”
“The guy who influenced me was Peter Manuel, who haunted Scotland when I was a boy. He actually defended himself in court. He was very clever, very plausible, and almost succeeded in trying to pin it on someone else. I remember getting an extraordinary frisson from the story.”
Have a fine day, everyone.
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