35 Years Ago, ‘Silence of the Lambs’ Star Improvised This Iconic Scene!

It can’t be overstated how much “The Silence of the Lambs” has contributed to American cinema, particularly in the thriller genre, inspiring major films like Se7en.

Among its many accolades, it’s one of only three films to have won the top five Oscars, a feat that solidified Jonathan Demme’s masterpiece in film history. Anthony Hopkins delivered a terrifying performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, earning an Oscar and topping the American Film Institute’s list of the greatest villains in film history—all with just 16 minutes of screen time.

Surrounded by an equally stellar cast including Jodie Foster and Scott Glenn, Ted Levine’s portrayal of serial killer Buffalo Bill, whom the FBI hunts, is no less chilling than Lecter and has become iconic. His lines have been quoted, celebrated, and parodied countless times across various TV shows and movies over the years.

“This Character Drove Me Mad”

Although Ted Levine had no complaints about the personality of Jame Gumb / Buffalo Bill as described in the script, he felt it didn’t fully do justice to the character, unlike in Thomas Harris’s novel. Levine drew inspiration from the novel for the iconic scene towards the film’s end where he dances naked in front of a mirror—a completely improvised moment.

Wrapped in a shawl and wearing the scalp of one of his previous victims, he dances to “Goodbye Horses” by Q Lazzarus. Suddenly, an idea strikes him, and he steps back, raising his arms in a pose that mimics wings, thus enhancing the symbolism of the moth and butterfly that recurs throughout the movie.

Here’s the scene again…

As part of his preparation, Levine visited the FBI headquarters in Quantico to watch video recordings of a serial killer who also held women captive in his basement, reveling in the power he had over his victims before killing some. He also spent time in transvestite bars, talking to patrons and performers to better understand his character, as he later told Rolling Stone.

In a 1991 interview with the Chicago Reader (via Looper), Ted Levine shared his experience of shaping his character: “It was tough. I will never play a character like that again. I would have loved to just play the role as it was written in the script, without worrying about the book; it would have been so much easier to work that way, and there are so many images in the book that aren’t in the film. On one hand, they can be helpful, but on the other, you can end up doing too much, which I think I did. This character drove me mad.” Rest assured, 35 years later, his chilling and brilliant performance is still just as paralyzing.