Michelle Pfeiffer Turned Down One Of The Best Horror Movies Ever For A Sweet Reason

Michelle Pfeiffer first worked with director Jonathan Demme on the 1988 crime comedy "Married to the Mob." Pfeiffer played Angela De Marco, a put-upon wife of a rising mobster played by Alec Baldwin. When he is killed, Angela has to find a way to live a normal life away from New York's gangland. It proves to be difficult: Every time she thinks she's out, they pull her back in. Demme was impressed with Pfeiffer's performance, and immediately wanted her to star in his next directorial project, an adaptation of Thomas Harris' 1988 airport novel "The Silence of the Lambs."

As we know all know, Demme ended up making "The Silence of the Lambs" with Jodie Foster. "Lambs" tells the story of an FBI rookie named Clarice (Foster) who seeks the aid of an incarcerated cannibal serial killer named Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to capture another serial killer (Ted Levine) who is still at large. It was, of course, a gigantic success, making over $272 million on its $19 million budget. It launched an entertainment franchise that lingered for decades; there was a sequel, a prequel, a remake, and two TV series. The 1991 movie won the "big five" Academy Awards (that is: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay). It's a cultural touchstone, even if it is extremely problematic in its treatment of the trans community. 

Pfeiffer was offered the role of Clarice, and was Demme's first choice for the role. She turned it down, though. Given the film's success, one might expect Pfeiffer to have some regrets on the matter. But it seems that she turned it down because she wasn't comfortable with the film's murderous themes. In a 2021 interview with The New Yorker, Pfeiffer said quite plainly that she didn't like the screenplay because it was just too evil. 

The New Yorker article stressed how Pfeiffer's success as an actress allowed her to be choosy with her roles. Once one of the most in-demand actresses in Hollywood, Pfeiffer was offered dozens and dozens of movies that she simply refused to take part in. She once turned down the role of Virginia in Barry Levinson's "Bugsy," a role that eventually went to Annette Bening. That film famously led to the long-term romance between Bening and her director/co-star Warren Beatty. Between "Bugsy" and "Silence of the Lambs," one might assume that Pfeiffer has a few mild regrets. 

As it turns out, no. Pfeiffer has clear reasons for refusing to do certain pictures, and is proud of what she was involved in. The closest she came was missing some jobs over scheduling conflicts. "Silence of the Lambs," however, was a flat "no." As she explained: 

"[S]ometimes you just regret that you can't maybe do both things. With 'Bugsy,' I was also offered 'Frankie and Johnny,' and I really wanted to do that. Then, with 'Silence of the Lambs,' I was trepidatious. There was such evil in that film. The thing I most regret is missing the opportunity to do another film with Jonathan. [...] It was that evil won in the end, that at the end of ['Lambs'], evil ruled out. I was uncomfortable with that ending. I didn't want to put that out into the world."

Indeed, a serial killer is left at large at the end of "Silence of the Lambs." 

"Frankie and Johnny" was a romance directed by Garry Marshall that allowed Pfeiffer to play the romantic co-lead opposite Al Pacino. It wasn't a big hit, but it was pleasant and funny. Pfeiffer also moved directly into playing Catwoman in Tim Burton's 1992 blockbuster "Batman Returns," so she got a massive hit of her own anyway.