Over at ET Online (of all places), they’ve posted an interview with Gaspard Ulliel, who is set to play the young Hannibal Lecter in YOUNG HANNIBAL: BEHIND THE MASK (which I still think is a stupid title).
The short chat with the French-born actor was the usual fluff piece you’d find tagged onto DVDs prepped for double-dipping, but did reveal how Gaspard prepped for his part by watching Anthony Hopkins in the role that made him famous over 50 times. Talk about dedication. As well, this time around there’s an aire of sympathy surrounding Hannibal, as Rhys Ifans (known as Hugh Grant’s wacky roommate in NOTTING HILL) plays the villain this time around, torturing Hannibal’s only ally (played by Gong Li). “You are moved by [Hannibal],” Ulliel explains, “and feel some pity for him even if he does all of those horrible killings.”
As for the question as to whether we’ll be seeing stuff like the dinner scene in HANNIBAL or Ted Levine playing peek-a-boo with his package in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Ulliel says that the film will aim to repulse when it hits theatres later this year. “There are some really nasty killings, especially near the end,” he says, “the more savage it is, the more great it is.” Along with the article, ET has the video portion of the interview, which you can hit up here.