The iconic movie role Michelle Pfeiffer was too “nervous” to take on
Since the early 1980s, Michelle Pfeiffer has graced our screens with captivating performances in movies like Dangerous Liaisons and Batman Returns as the iconic Catwoman. After a stumbling start in Grease 2, which Pfeiffer likes to forget, she soon proved herself to be a promising star with a role in Scarface.
Despite initial opposition from both director Brian De Palma and leading star Al Pacino, she landed the role of Elvira Hancock, the sultry and elegant wife of Pacino’s Tony Montana. Scarface proved to be a momentous opportunity for Pfeiffer, who was able to free herself from the shackles of Grease 2, which she once claimed to “hate” with a “vengeance”.
Pfeiffer appeared in a string of movies in the ‘80s, which typically fell into the comedy or fantasy genre. She shone in period pieces, such as Dangerous Liaisons, proving herself as a multi-talented performer. In 1988, she collaborated with Jonathan Demme, starring in his film Married to the Mob. Appearing alongside stars such as Dean Stockwell and Matthew Modine, the movie earned Pfeiffer a Golden Globe nomination for ‘Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical’.
A few years later, Demme was interested in working with the star again for his next film, Silence of the Lambs, which would soon become his most successful hit. It remains one of the most popular horror movies ever made, terrifying viewers with its impressive performances from Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter and Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill.
The movie follows Jodie Foster’s Clarice Sterling, a young woman training to be an FBI professional. In order to discover more about serial killers and cannibalism, she seeks the advice of Hannibal Lecter, who is residing in a Baltimore prison. However, the movie descends into madness after Lecter escapes, and Buffalo Bill’s crimes become even more disturbing.
Demme offered Foster’s part to Pfeiffer, but she was apprehensive about taking on the demanding role, once stating that she was “too nervous”. In an interview with the New Yorker, she revealed, “With Silence of the Lambs, I was trepidatious.”
Pfeiffer continued, “There was such evil in that film. The thing I most regret is missing the opportunity to do another film with Jonathan.”
The actor just couldn’t get on board with the fact that, in the end, Lecter is back to his cannibalistic ways, telling Clarice on the phone that he will be “having an old friend for dinner”. She explained, “It was that evil won in the end, that at the end of that film, evil ruled out. I was uncomfortable with that ending. I didn’t want to put that out into the world.”
Watch the trailer for Silence of the Lambs below.
