'Clarice' Features Reunion of 2 Major Characters from 'Silence of the Lambs'

The most recent episode of CBS's hit new crime series Clarice, a sequel to the Oscar-winning [...]

By Stephen Andrew

The most recent episode of CBS's hit new crime series Clarice, a sequel to the Oscar-winning horror-thriller Silence of the Lambs, featured a reunion for two of the movie's major characters. In Thursday night's episode of Clarice, titled "How Does It Feel to Be So Beautiful," FBI agent Clarice Starling had to face Catherine Martin — the lone survivor of serial killer Buffalo Bill. In the film, Clarice was the one to rescue Catherine and kill Bill, and the pair finally met face-to-face again for dinner at Catherine's home.

Clarice tells the story of what came next for both women, who were each severely traumatized by the experience in their own ways. In the show, Catherine is played by Marnee Carpenter, who spends most of her scenes alone, or with actress Jayne Atkinson, who plays Catherine's mother, US Attorney General Ruth Martin. Speaking to ET, Carpenter opened up about the big reunion. "It was really nice just to have humans in the room. It's usually just me and a phone and a dog," Carpenter said, referencing her character's self-imposed isolation due to the mental, emotional, and physical trauma she's suffered. "So that dinner was the first time I really was with other actors."

Playing the new Clarice Starling is actress Rebecca Breeds (Pretty Little Liars, The Originals). The character was originally translated from book-to-screen by Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs, and later portrayed by Julianne Moore in Hannibal (2001). Foster earned the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1992 for her portrayal of the character.

During an interview with PEOPLE, Breeds shared that she eventually earned the title role in the sequel series after a series of four-hour auditions that were very intense. However, she made it clear that the effort was completely worth the outcome. As for how she found out that she got the lead role, Breeds shared the hilarious story with the outlet.

"My husband and I drove to Malibu and we were sitting at a café and within about two minutes, I got a phone call from [co-creaters] Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet," she recalled. Breeds then went on to share, "I pick up the phone and I just hear silence. And then all I hear is ... 'Hello, Clarice.' That's how they told me I got the role and I absolutely lost it. Just could not believe it." Clarice airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

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