CBS’s The Silence of the Lambs adaptation Clarice adds transgender performer Jen Richards … playing character who will ‘discuss with Clarice the complicated legacy of Buffalo Bill’
Transgender performer and activist Jen Richards has been cast on Clarice, the upcoming CBS adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs.
On the show, Richards will portray a trans woman who talks with the titular character about ‘the complicated legacy of Buffalo Bill,’ a transitioning character featured in the 1991 film portrayed as a villain.
Richards, who’s been seen on shows such as Blindspot, Mrs. Fletcher and Better Things, spoke about the role during a virtual premiere event for the series Monday.
The latest: Transgender performer and activist Jen Richards has been cast on Clarice, the upcoming CBS adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs. Richards was snapped in LA in 2019
‘All I can say is that the character intersects with Clarice’s storyline in a way that her transness isn’t central to her storyline, but her identity as a trans woman prompts her to discuss with Clarice the complicated legacy of Buffalo Bill,’ Richards said.
Richards was initially added as a consultant on the series at the recommendation of GLAAD director of trans representation Nick Adams, Variety reported.
Richards initially believed the job was to ‘craft the character and make sure some younger, prettier trans actress had a good experience on set,’ but is now a member of the cast.
Richards recalled being ‘crestfallen’ at the time of The Silence of the Lambs 1991 release that the Buffalo Bill character (who Ted Levine portrayed) left a damaging impact on the trans community amid the initial success of the motion picture.
Big role: Rebecca Breeds plays the character of Clarice Starling, played in the 1991 film by Jodie Foster
Back in time: The story of the movie begins in the early 90s following Clarice’s capture of Buffalo Bill
‘Right prior to my coming out as trans, I started to delicately tell a few friends and colleagues I was thinking about transitioning, kind of treading water to see if I could do it successfully, and one looked at me and said, “Do you mean like Buffalo Bill?” … it was really complicated to try and overcome that first perception of other people,’ Richards said.
Richards described the Buffalo Bill character – a murderer who Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling character sought to catch with guidance from cannibal serial killer Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins) – as an ‘incredibly monstrous person who literally steals the female form and tries to embody it.
The writing team on the TV show is focused on addressing ‘the complicated, horrible legacy in a way that didn’t reduce it to that one issue,’ in addition to showcasing a separate ‘trans character that was part of the story but didn’t reduce it to a stereotype,’ said Richards.
The Buffalo Bill character was a murderer who Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling character sought to catch with guidance from cannibal serial killer Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins). Both won Oscars for their performances in the movie
Details: Richards recalled being ‘crestfallen’ at the time that the Buffalo Bill character (who Ted Levine portrayed in the movie) left a damaging impact on the trans community amid the initial success of the motion picture
Rebecca Breeds plays the titular FBI agent, headlining a cast that includes Kal Penn, Nick Sandow, Lucca de Oliveira, Michael Cudlitz, Jayne Atkinson, Devyn A. Tyler and Marnee Carpenter.
The series is set a year after Starling has caught Buffalo Bill, and is dealing with trauma and PTSD in the aftermath of the complicated case.
Clarice debuts on CBS February 11 at 10/9c.