Jen Richards joins cast of Silence of the Lambs sequel show Clarice

Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Jen Richards in Tales of the City (Netflix)

Jen Richards has joined the cast of the upcoming Silence of the Lambs sequel show Clarice.

The Tales of the City star was first recommended by GLAAD’s Director of Trans Representation to consult on the show, reports NBC, but will now also be appearing on-screen.

Classic horror film SOTL swept the Oscars in 1992, but has attracted mounting accusations of transphobia ever since for its portrayal of antagonist Buffalo Bill.

“Her transness isn’t central to her storyline”

During a virtual premiere event for Clarice on Monday night, Richards said: “All I can say is that the character intersects with Clarice’s storyline in a way that her transness isn’t central to her storyline, but her identity as a trans woman prompts her to discuss with Clarice the complicated legacy of Buffalo Bill.”

Richards explained she expected to “craft the character and make sure some younger, prettier trans actress had a good experience on set”, but has now been cast in the role herself.

Discussing the negative effect of Bill’s character on the trans community, Richards said: “Right prior to my coming out as trans I started to delicately tell a few friends and colleagues I was thinking about transitioning, kind of treading water to see if I could do it successfully, and one looked at me and said, ‘Do you mean like Buffalo Bill?’”

Richards plays a key part in ground-breaking Netflix documentary Disclosure, which analyses trans representation on screen across the history of motion picture. Her other screen roles include Nashville and Mrs. Fletcher.

Clarice airs on CBS on Thursday 11 February.

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