Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.
Cynthia Ettinger is an American actress, known for her stage and television work, most notably her appearances on the TV series Carnivàle and in the unaired pilot of the TV series Smallville. She also played a recurring, albeit minor role, as a traveling actress in Deadwood on HBO.