Ted Levine, who played Buffalo Bill in the film Silence of the Lambs, spoke out about transphobia criticism the movie has received since its release 35 years ago.
“There are certain aspects of the movie that don’t hold up too well,” Levine told The Hollywood Reporter.
The portrayal of the character Buffalo Bill, also known as Jame Gumb, has been criticized over the years by the transgender community as harmful.
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Buffalo Bill was a serial killer that murdered women in order to harvest their skin to wear.
Despite the character’s sexual orientation not being outwardly stated, he was seen as trans and gender-nonconforming in the film.
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“We all know more, and I’m a lot wiser about transgender issues,” he added to the outlet. “There are some lines in that script and movie that are unfortunate.”
“[It’s] just over time and having gotten aware and worked with trans folks, and understanding a bit more about the culture and the reality of the meaning of gender,” Levine said.
“It’s unfortunate that the film vilified that, and it’s f——- wrong. And you can quote me on that,” Levine noted.
Despite that, Levin said about his performance as Buffalo Bill: “I didn’t play him as being gay or trans. I think he was just a f——up heterosexual man. That’s what I was doing.”
In the film, Anthony Hopkins played Hannibal Lecter, who is consulted by FBI trainee Clarice Starling, played by Jodie Foster.
Lecter is a cannibalistic serial killer who advises Starling, in order to help capture Buffalo Bill.
The film, directed by Jonathan Demme, was released on Valentine’s Day in 1991, and ended up becoming a global hit. It won five Oscars, including best actor, best actress, best screenplay, best director and best picture.
Demme’s producing partner, Edward Saxon, said to the outlet: “We were really loyal to the book. As we made the film, there was just no question in our minds that Buffalo Bill was a completely aberrant personality — that he wasn’t gay or trans.”
“He was sick. To that extent, we missed it. From my point of view, we weren’t sensitive enough to the legacy of a lot of stereotypes and their ability to harm,” he explained to THR.
“There’s regret, but it didn’t come from any place of malice. It actually came from a place of seeing this guy. We all had dear friends and family who were gay. We thought it would just be very clear that Buffalo Bill adapts different things from society, from a place of an incredibly sick pathology,” Saxon said.
