Hannibal is the dark side that is part of everyone

Julianne Moore

Moore, who was Oscar nominated for her role in The End of the Affair, had psychological difficulties coping with her role as an FBI agent pursuing a cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter.

She plays opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins in this sequel to the 1991 thriller.

"I actually talked to my shrink about it," Moore told the March issue of Vanity Fair. "As a parent, as a person - what is this?

Gruesome

"Hannibal is the dark side that is part of everyone ... We are socialized, civilized, but in our fantasy lives we explore those themes. That's okay, but it's a fine line I feel uncomfortable with," Moore told the magazine.

Jodie Foster played the original Clarice Starling

Jodie Foster, who starred in the original film, did not want to reprise the role of agent Clarice Starling because she found it too lurid.

Hannibal sees Hopkins resume the Hannibal Lecter role which won him a Best Actor Oscar.

Director Ridley Scott has said that the ending of the $80m (�54m) movie was different to the gruesome conclusion of the book, which is written by Thomas Harris.

Moore, who also starred in Boogie Nights and Magnolia, said her initial concern was the violence in the script.

"I am pretty careful about violence, but eventually I came to feel that this story was fable-like. This is a film about good and evil coming up against each other ... but it's psychologically horrifying," she said

Silence of the Lambs was directed by Jonathan Demme and picked up five Academy Awards, including best picture and best director.