Fan Favourite Clarice Returns to the Screen

A buzzy new drama follows the continued adventures of FBI wunderkind Clarice Starling

What became of novice FBI agent Clarice Starling after The Silence of the Lambs?

The book and movie versions of the sequel Hannibal made runs at answering that, and the television Hannibal might have folded her in, had it continued for a fourth season. Regardless, now Agent Starling takes the spotlight again, with Pretty Little Liars and The Originals alum Rebecca Breeds as the title character—a year after gaining fame for the Buffalo Bill case on which she consulted with an imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter (who isn’t mentioned by name in this show, due to rights issues). Having made her bones, she’s assigned to hunt down other killers, though some of her FBI colleagues are skeptical of her abilities.

In succeeding Lambs’ Jodie Foster and Hannibal’s Julianne Moore as Clarice, Breeds says “the trick for me has been to not dwell too much” on earlier portrayals. “I had less than 24 hours before I walked into the audition, so there was no time to overthink it. It was just, ‘Let’s jump off the cliff and see what happens,’ which was good.”

With Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek: Discovery) and Jenny Lumet (daughter of celebrated filmmaker Sidney Lumet) as its executive producers, Clarice also features Lucca De Oliveira as Starling’s new partner, plus Kal Penn and Walking Dead alum Michael Cudlitz.

Though she resisted viewing The Silence of the Lambs for a long time, Breeds finally watched the Oscar-sweeping flick several years ago. “It was scary, but I also found it very thrilling, intelligent and clever,” she reflects. “I was annoyed that I hadn’t watched it earlier, but I also was happy to see such an iconic film for the first time.”

Clarice echoes The Silence of the Lambs by retaining rescued Buffalo Bill victim Catherine Martin (played here by Marnee Carpenter) and her mother, now-former Senator Ruth Martin (Jayne Atkinson, who recurred on CBS’s similarly themed Criminal Minds), as characters. “People who loved the book will especially love the series,” Breeds believes. “We used the film as a reference point, but we’ve mainly pivoted [based on] the Thomas Harris book.”

Though she’s a native of Australia—where she and actor husband Luke Mitchell (Blindspot) were cast members on the long-running serial Home and Away—Breeds does a flawless Southern accent as Clarice. “It’s like a pair of shoes that I put on now,” she reasons. “It just kind of clicked with me.”

As evidence of knowing what a huge role she’s landed, the actress points to her grandmother, whom she says mostly watches game shows; as such, Breeds really didn’t expect grandma to know Silence of the Lambs, “but she said, ‘Oh! You mean the one with Anthony Hopkins?’ That’s a testament to how iconic it is.”

Clarice airs Thursdays; 10 p.m.; Global & CBS