"The movie wasn't long enough to really delve into who this character is."
Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs is one of cinema's most iconic heroines, made famous by Jodie Foster's Oscar-winning performance. You might think taking on that role would be intimidating, but not for Rebecca Breeds, who will put her own spin on the character in the new CBS drama series Clarice (premieres February 11). She calls it an "honor" because "she's one of the most well-written characters in history—not just female characters, one of the best-written characters in history." The series picks up where the film left off, diving deep into the complicated world of Clarice after her encounters with Hannibal Lecter and the terrifying discovery in Buffalo Bill's basement. "The movie wasn't long enough to really delve into who this character is." Breeds is excited to show more of the complexities of Clarice's life as one of the few female agents in the 1990s FBI. "Don't be fooled by Clarice being this beacon of light, she is absolutely shrouded by the darkness." But it's the darkness of both Clarice's life and the serial killers she's hunting that make the show so exciting for Breeds. "The show is very dark and very juicy. So if you like that you will not be disappointed."
Was it intimidating taking on such an iconic role?
It's not something that freaks me out as much as I feel charged with an honor in a very positive way. I feel very excited that I get to be a part of this legacy. And I just want to honor the character the best I can. She's one of the most well-written characters in history, not just female characters, one of the best-written characters in history. We have this incredible wealth, just a gold mine of what we can draw from with this character. I feel like the movie wasn't long enough to really delve into who this character is.
How does the show reveal what happened to Clarice after her encounters with Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill?
When we meet her in The Silence of the Lambs, she's very ambitious and going after her passion. Going into the basement of Buffalo Bill's physical house kind of forced her to go into the basement of her own trauma, whilst introducing a whole new trauma. She's got a lot of her own monsters in her closet that I think is part of what makes her good at her job. So during this first series, she's forced to go into the basement of her own trauma.
Will the series focus on the complexities of Clarice working in a 90s era male-dominated FBI?
It's a big part of our series. Clarice, she's in her early 20s. So to come into this world of men that was the FBI, you just want to be taken seriously. You don't want to be the skirt. It's a struggle to be taken seriously and as you walk with her in the series, you can see it more from her point of view. It's exciting.
The series is set in 1993, a year after the film's storyline. How does the 90's play into the story?
Literally, my favorite thing is I have a beeper. I was a child in the 90s, so I never had that. And the outfits are amazing. A lot of boxy suits for women. It's so fun to just be long enough out in time that we're looking back with nostalgia and with love. It's a lot of fun to play in that world and I think it adds a lot of authenticity to the show.
What do you think it is about the true-crime genre that makes it so popular?
I think we want to make it make sense. We want to see it solved because we want to know that there's some kind of justice in this world. And it's really fascinating to go, "what are we capable of?" How can a human being do that? That's what I love about this show. It's incredibly dark. Like, do not be fooled by Clarice being this beacon of light, she is absolutely shrouded by the darkness. I think that's so exciting. How can you continue to shine within so much darkness? How can you continue? And then there's her own darkness that she needs to look in the face. So yeah, the tone of the show is very dark and very juicy.
