Ted Levine

After his terrifying turn as "Buffalo Bill" in Das Schweigen der Lämmer (1991), he's had some trouble getting parts other than sadistic psychopaths. He generally tries to choose parts more along the lines of ordinary family men and unfriendly co-workers to get away from the creepy shadow of "Buffalo Bill".

I scared them to death in the audition. I had no idea what I was going to do. I read the script; I read the book; I tried stuff. I met Jonathan [Jonathan Demme] in Los Angeles, and we just talked, and I got a sense where he was at about it. He called me back; I went to New York to talk some more, and I just read. I sort of copped something on the way, which is something you have to do, whether it's right or wrong. Actually I think my audition was better than my performance, by far. -on how he got the part of Buffalo Bill in Das Schweigen der Lämmer (1991)