The 68-year-old, who played the fictional serial killer in the 1991 thriller, admitted that “certain aspects” of his character hadn’t aged well and only served to demonise the trans community.
He said he understood the backlash the film had received over the years after becoming a lot “wiser” on LGBTQ+ issues, adding that certain lines in the film were “unfortunate”.
Silence of the Lambs and the titular book it is based on follow Clarice Staring, a young FBI trainee attempting to hunt down serial killer Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb, who has been murdering young women and stealing their skin. It is later revealed that Gumb had been rejected from multiple gender-reassignment clinics due to psychological instability and is stealing women’s skin to fulfil his desire to transition.
Critics have blasted the film as one of the most “significant and impactful examples of pop culture transmisogyny” which encourages viewers to reject trans people’s “self-identification”. In her coming out statement, filmmaker Lily Wachowski condemned it for “demonising and vilifying” trans women, adding: “We are not predators, we are prey.”
Addressing the backlash for the first time, Levine told The Hollywood Reporter: “There are certain aspects of the movie that don’t hold up too well … we all know more, and I’m a lot wiser about transgender issues. There are some lines in that script that are unfortunate.”
The Heat actor admitted the concerns hadn’t crossed his mind when working on the project, saying he didn’t play the serial killer as “gay or trans” but as a “fucked up heterosexual man”.
He eventually realised the film’s negative impact after working closely with trans people in future projects, developing a better understanding of the issues the community faces.
“It’s unfortunate that the film vilified that, and it’s fucking wrong. And you can quote me on that,” he said.
by artbasiI