Jodie Foster was officially too busy to star in Hannibal!

Jodie Foster received huge acclaim for starring alongside Anthony Hopkins in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs. The iconic actress has since starred in several hugely successful projects.

Talking about how she was approached for the 2001 film Hannibal, Foster revealed that she graciously rejected the role by claiming that she had a timing conflict. The real reason, however, was revealed by the actress in a 2005 interview. Foster claimed that she was busy working in another film which later ended up being shelved.

Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

Jodie Foster Was Working On Another Project

When Hannibal was initially pitched to Jodie Foster, the actress felt that the film was more explicit in nature than its prequel, The Silence of the Lambs. In a bid to deny the role but with grace, she claimed that she wasn’t available to act in the movie.

Annette Bening and Jodie Foster in Nyad.

In a 2005 interview with Total Film, Foster revealed that the real reason she refused to star in Hannibal was that she was working on another film with Russell Crowe. However, claiming to have too much work was something Jodie Foster was fond of doing. Eventually, it was Julianne Moore who took over the role initially offered to Foster:

“The official reason I didn’t do ‘Hannibal’ is I was doing another movie, ‘Flora Plum.’ So I get to say, in a nice, dignified way, that I wasn’t available when that movie was being shot.”
She further talked about how the director of the 1991 movie Jonathan Demme really loved the character of Clarice Starling.
“Clarice meant so much to Jonathan [Demme] and I … and I know it sounds kind of strange to say but there was no way that either of us could really trample on her.”
The comments about her refusal to star in Hannibal appear to be consistent with her reluctance to star in Superhero movies. Foster revealed in a recent interview that she thinks superhero films are merely a phase.

Jodie Foster Thinks Superhero Movies Are A Phase

Jodie Foster’s take on superhero films was met with criticism!

In a recent interview with Elle, Jodie Foster talked about the current trend of superhero movies and cinematic universes. Stating that superhero movies are a phase that lasted a little too long, Foster was slammed for her comments.
“It’s a phase that’s lasted a little too long for me, but it’s a phase, and I’ve seen so many different phases. Hopefully, people will be sick of it soon. The good ones — like Iron Man, Black Panther, The Matrix — I marvel at those movies, and I’m swept up in the entertainment of it.”
She further continued,
“But that’s not why I became an actor. And those movies don’t change my life. Hopefully, there’ll be room for everything else.”
Well, the actress is indeed partly correct since the recent Marvel movies do not seem to emotionally connect with the audience. Even Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani sang a similar tune, something she was slammed for. Jodie Foster’s iconic role of Clarice Sterling can be seen in The Silence of the Lambs available to stream on Max in the U.S.