Tim Curry Deeply 'Regrets' Not Playing This Legendary '90s Slasher

In a new interview with The Academy, IT star Tim Curry revealed his “great regrets” over missing the chance to play yet another iconic ‘90s horror villain.

The 79-year-old Rocky Horror Picture Show actor, who recently released his memoir, Vagabond, shared that he “desperately” wanted to play the antagonist in Silence of the Lambs, but was not even allowed to audition. “One of my great regrets is that I read the script of Silence of the Lambs and I desperately wanted to play Hannibal Lecter,” Curry recalled.  “My agent couldn’t get me in the room, but Tony Hopkins did a great job,” he conceded.

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Silence of the Lambs Debuted 35 Years Ago

The Silence of the Lambs starred Anthony Hopkins as incarcerated serial killer (and cannibal) Hannibal Lecter, who is sought out by FBI Agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) and asked to assist in the case of a missing senator’s daughter. The film went on to gross $270 million worldwide (about $650 million adjusted for inflation) and was the rare horror picture to sweep the Oscars. It won Academy Awards for Best Picture; Best Director for Jonathan Demme; Best Actress for Foster; and Best Actor for Hopkins, who won despite having just 16 minutes of screentime.

Sean Connery Reportedly Declined the 'Disgusting' Villainous Role

Speaking to Paul Thomas Anderson at the 2015 Austin Film Festival, Demme revealed that Sean Connery was his original choice for Hannibal Lecter. However, the 007 star turned the part down after reading the gory screenplay. “Word came back shortly that he thought it was disgusting and wouldn’t dream of playing that part. So, great, now we can go to Tony Hopkins,” Demme said. “It was so easy for me to see that Anthony would be a superb Dr. Lecter because he had been such an amazing good doctor in The Elephant Man,” the filmmaker continued. “He had been as believable a doctor as you can imagine, and he was good. What if you cast Anthony Hopkins in the part of Dr. Lecter, who is not the worst doctor, but he’s a…good doctor turned bad? That was my engine for Anthony Hopkins.”

Curry Missed Out on Another Iconic '90s Role

During his interview with The Academy, Curry also revealed another iconic role that he missed out on playing. He originally auditioned for the role of burglar Marv, ultimately played by Daniel Stern, in Chris Columbus’ original Home Alone (1990). Curry later netted a role in the sequel, playing persnickety hotel receptionist Mr. Hector in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). From that set, Curry has only warm memories of his adolescent co-star, Macaulay Culkin. “Mac used to stay up watching late-night movies and fall asleep in the makeup chair,” Curry recalled. “I liked him. He was a very nice kid.”