Brian Cox reveals that he and Anthony Hopkins agreed not to talk about both playing Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter (1986) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991), respectively. Based on the Thomas Harris novels, Hanniba’s first movie appearance was in Michael Mann’s Manhunter, which follows FBI profiler Will Graham (William Petersen) as he consults with Lecter as he chases a killer dubbed the “tooth fairy.” Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs features a similar setup, with Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling working with Lecter to catch serial killer Jame Gumb (Ted Levine).

https://screenrant.com/hannibal-lecter-actor-anthony-hopkins-brian-cox-discuss-factoid/