When David Bowie almost played Hannibal Lecter’s uncle: “We have reached out to see if he’s interested”

Posted On February 7, 2025February 7, 2025

As one of the most unpredictable and malleable artists in history who spent their career in a state of perpetual reinvention, it was only fitting that David Bowie approached acting in much the same way he approached music: leaving everybody guessing about what he was going to do next.

After all, his on-camera career encompassed the sci-fi fantasy The Man Who Fell to Earth, the German drama Just a Gigolo, Tony Scott’s sensual horror The Hunger, Jim Henson’s cult classic Labyrinth, Martin Scorsese’s biblical epic The Last Temptation of Christ, Christopher Nolan’s period piece The Prestige, and David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

That said, one constant was that Bowie always resisted the lure of major Hollywood franchises. He no doubt had his offers to wade into the waters of blockbuster properties, most notably dropping out of playing Bond villain Max Zorin in A View to a Kill after early promotional materials had already confirmed him for the role, and he also declined the chance to provide a branch in the family tree for pop culture’s most infamous cannibal.

Anthony Hopkins is the first thing that comes to mind when anyone thinks about Hannibal Lecter, and rightly so. His iconic performance in The Silence of the Lambs won him the Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’ and remains the defining performance of his career, searing itself into the public consciousness.

Of course, he wasn’t the first or last actor to play the role, with Brian Cox headlining Michael Mann’s Manhunter and Gaspard Ulliel taking top billing in the forgettable prequel Hannibal Rising. If anyone was fit to lace Hopkins’ boots as the twisted psychiatrist, then Mads Mikkelsen came closest in Bryan Fuller’s TV series Hannibal, which is where Bowie comes in.

Ahead of the show’s second season, the showrunner was planning to introduce Robertus Lecter as a recurring character, and there was only one name at the top of the wish list. In Thomas Harris’ book series, the character is killed by Nazis, but by contemporising the timeline, Fuller was free to make some alterations, with his sights set firmly on one name.

“We have reached out to David Bowie to see if he’s interested and available,” he told E! News. “We would love for him to play Hannibal’s uncle, who is a character from the literature and in the books.” Unfortunately, he wasn’t available, and after missing out on the chance to cast an icon as Uncle Lecter, Fuller decided to excise Robertus from the show entirely.

Instead, he was mentioned fleetingly by Mikkelsen’s title character in ‘Oeuf’, the fourth episode of the first season, and Tao Okamoto played Chiyoh in the third and final season, with the character serving as the handmaiden to Lady Murasaki, the wife of Robertus Lecter. It was Bowie or bust, then, and when Fuller couldn’t get his man, he decided not to use him at all.

Related Topics