Anthony Hopkins claims playing Hannibal Lecter in 'The Silence of the Lambs' was 'the best'

Anthony Hopkins recently reflected on his role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.

The 88-year-old Welsh actor conversed with PEOPLE magazine after the release of his 1991 psychological horror thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally.

Hopkins told the outlet, “I played Lecter with great relish.”

The Silence of the Lambs is based on Thomas Harris’ 1988 bestselling novel, which he landed after being passed over by a great number of actors.

Lecter, a psychiatrist and psychotic cannibal, was sent to jail because of his crimes but the FBI recruits him to better analyse other serial killers, especially their patterns in their crimes.

Rather than spending days thinking about whether he should play the role, Hopkins followed his instinct to develop his character, particularly in the intense scenes he recorded with Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, a passionate FBI trainee who learns from a man she is afraid of.

The Red Dragon star quipped, “You can't play evil to portray evil. If you do, it becomes a travesty.”

“This was the best, most controlled work I've done," he said, adding that "the part jumped straight off the script into my mind."

“I immediately knew Lecter's voice, how he looked. I understood his complexities. It was easy. I used to make heavy weather of acting. Now I just learn my lines, show up and do it. No need to torture myself,” Hopkins stated.