‘It’s F***ing Wrong’: Silence Of The Lambs Cast Reflect On The Film’s Transphobia
Image: Buffalo Bill as depicted in the 1991 thrilled Silence of the Lambs
Thirty-five years ago film audiences were treated to the Oscar winning thrills of The Silence of the Lambs, starring Jodie Foster as a rookie FBI agent and Anthony Hopkins in his terrifying role as the cannibal and nice chianti sipper Hannibal Lecter.
While Silence of the Lambs remains one of the most enduring depictions of serial killers in popular culture, it’s the depiction of the killer Buffalo Bill, played by Ted Levine, which has since received some criticism from audiences, and which has led to some of the cast and crew speaking out. The characterisation of Buffalo Bill (whose sexual orientation is not explicitly stated) has been viewed as a negative portrayal of someone gender non-conforming or potentially identifying as trans – and of perpetuating negative stereotypes and vilification of gender non-conforming people.
As a result, Ted Levine who played Buffalo Bill (or Jame Gumb), and whose credits also include the features Heat听补苍诲听The Fast and the Furious, has mixed feelings about the role, despite the film’s massive success.
鈥淭here are certain aspects of the movie that don鈥檛 hold up too well,鈥� Levine told The Hollywood Reporter. 鈥淲e all know more, and I鈥檓 a lot wiser about transgender issues. There are some lines in that script and movie that are unfortunate.鈥�
In one scene, Hannibal (who is a psychologist as well as cannibalistic serial killer), analyses Buffalo Bill for Clarice: 鈥淏illy hates his own identity, you see, and he thinks that makes him a transsexual. But his pathology is a thousand times more savage and more terrifying.鈥�
Levine specifies that he never intended to play the character as trans. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 play him as being gay or trans. I think he was just a fucked-up heterosexual man. That鈥檚 what I was doing.鈥�
This sentiment is echoed in the interview by the film’s producer Edward Saxon, who says they only wanted to depict a “sick pathology”. But he also acknowledges the harms that stereotypes can perpetuate.
鈥淸It鈥檚] just over time and having gotten aware and worked with trans folks, and understanding a bit more about the culture and the reality of the meaning of gender,鈥� says Levine.鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate that the film vilified that, and it鈥檚 fucking wrong. And you can quote me on that.鈥�
During a 2014 interview, director Jonathan Demme, who died in 2o17,聽 he appreciated the debate over the film but noted that the character 鈥渄idn鈥檛 really have a sexual preference鈥� and added, 鈥淗e wished he was a woman, not because he always wanted to be a woman. This was another way to escape.鈥� He also acknowledged that 鈥渕ore and more people, me included, are starting to really wake up to the challenge [the trans community faces] today.鈥�
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