With some movies or TV shows, those responsible for bringing such projects to life know right away that their chemistry will resonate with audiences, but in the case of Hannibal‘s relationship between Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham, star Hugh Dancy says he and co-star Mads Mikkelsen were entirely unaware of how their connection would resonate with fans. Even if he wasn’t aware of the ways in which the fans would interpret their connection, he also admitted that he feels viewer interpretations are just as valid as anything he had believed of the characters’ dynamic at the time.
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“I don’t think I fully understood the power of the Internet, in that respect, and in terms of fandom. We weren’t at the cutting edge of that, but it wasn’t something that was part of the conversation … I don’t think you ever know that a show is going to spark that, in one person, let alone a community of people that would be a self-formed community like that. So, no, I had no idea,” Dancy shared with Collider. “When we were doing any kind of press, or things with the public and fans, and they started showing us their art, which is both incredibly touching and sometimes quite disturbing to see yourself in these images.”
He continued, “You go, ‘Okay, well, that’s what you took from this. I’m moved, but please don’t show that to me again.’ And also, the other thing that happens, which is quite remarkable, is that your own experience of having made your way through that story where you tried to create a character becomes really no more valid than anybody else’s. The people who have watched it and for whom it’s, frankly at this point, probably more central to their lives than it is to mine — and I don’t mean that in a dismissive way, at all, I just think it’s the truth — they have a strength of feeling and a commitment to what the relationship was between those characters.”
The dynamic between Will and Hannibal started off in a relatively traditional way, with Will seeking the psychiatric guidance of Hannibal, only for their deadly proclivities to be directly intertwined with one another, as well as their romantic passions. In the Season 3 finale, which would go on to serve as the series finale, Will and Hannibal embraced one another physically, yet fell short of outright confirming their romantic feelings. In retrospect, even series creator Bryan Fuller has expressed his regret over not including a kiss in the finale.
“They were destined to be lovers, for example, or they were disappointed that it wasn’t acknowledged because they clearly wanted to be lovers, or whatever it might be,” the actor detailed. “You can only step back and say, ‘I absolutely acknowledge the validity of your take on it, as long as you recognize the validity of anybody else’s.’ I have been amazed and have actually loved that democratization of the whole thing.”
Stay tuned for details on possible updates for the future of the Hannibal franchise.
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