‘I play to find personal release’: Willem Dafoe tells his story, from Spider-Man to Nosferatu

Few men can boast of having been Jesus Christ, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Vincent Van Gogh and Spider-Man’s arch nemesis in one lifetime. Willem Dafoe has that luxury. that he was an actor of a thousand faces for more than forty years. Among the 150 films that highlight his career, we find everything: auteur cinema, big Hollywood machines, experimental works, as a common point, always an insatiable desire to reinvent himself and dare.

Just look at the list of directors he has directed and it’s guaranteed to be dizzying. Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, David Lynch, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders… so many names that created an entire era of cinema. But Willem Dafoe’s genius is also, and above all, inspiring a new generation of filmmakers, allowing the 68-year-old actor to have more fun than ever. So is Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Creatures – Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival – and also Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu.

AlloCiné: Mads Mikkelsen mentions your name when talking about those who made him want to play. And who inspired you?

Willem Dafoe: I feel guilty answering you, but I don’t have a specific name to give you. I was very quickly fascinated by Jerzy Grotowski’s concept of “bad theater”. His theories had a great influence on me.

There are directors that I admire, works that I admire. But just one actor? Only one director? No. I am quite eclectic. I like to dance, I like to go to galleries. It all inspires me. Every actor, every job is different. I would be a fool to answer, for example, Marlon Brando. It’s an interesting character, but I can’t model it. I do not recognize myself in this.

Your filmography is incredibly rich with very diverse choices. However, there is a real consistency in your roles, always on the razor’s edge. What do you look for first in a character?

I want it to change the way I think about things. I want to learn and see differently. He seems a bit like the good student in class, but the excitement and fun of learning something new makes me happy. It helps me expand my vision of what is possible and how we can live. I play to find personal release. As funny as movies and shows are sometimes, they can be very helpful in achieving this.

I feel the need to break the power that society has over us.

You have worked with many great directors and have been loyal to some of them eg Paul Schrader – Six films together – and Abel Ferrara – Seven films. Do these relationships of trust allow you to go further in your interpretations?

Absolutely because you are part of their vocabulary. If you have worked with them more than once, you become a character in a long novel. This is very important to get rid of yourself. Which is quite ironic because everything we do comes from within. But I think all our problems are based on an identity that doesn’t even exist. That’s why it’s important to have a fluid identity.

What do you mean by “fluid”?

You need to know how to break free from the image you have of yourself and how you think you are. I am really amazed by the fact that from birth we construct a false identity. It is not our fault at all, but society’s fault. We don’t know where it comes from, but we agree, that’s all.

I grew up in a middle-class, large family. We were neither rich nor poor. We were perfectly normal average Americans. It’s not like I came from a difficult place. I had a relatively comfortable life growing up, but somewhere I feel the need to break the power that society has over us.

Paul Schrader and Abel Ferrara represent raw, punk cinema. Many say that this cinema no longer exists today, we can no longer make the same films as before. your work Robert Eggers or Yorgos Lanthimos Shows that there is always room for crime. What do you think ?

It’s hard to say. You’ll laugh, I know how to make movies, but I don’t know much about movies. Maybe this will help me (laugh). Interesting what you say. True, I am not particularly attached to the old Hollywood glamour, career and all that. I’m a little curious, but it doesn’t motivate me.

What I care about is being with the people I love. Special people who have a special point of view, who have a special vision. So for an American, I’ve always been drawn to auteur cinema, which is definitely not the norm. We need to find these people. They are not always the best careers. It’s not always the most successful movies, but it is.

You’ve been filming for a long time, but many young viewers know you and follow your work, especially thanks to films like Spiderman. How do you view this audience?

I understand that and I love it. They are the future. Much has been said about the wisdom of old age, but there is also much to be said about the corruption that comes with old age (laugh). I love the energy of this youth and all the opportunities it offers because they don’t know any better.

When it comes to movies, I know people who have been very successful and are still working, but they are tired and they say to themselves: “Heck, it was a lot more fun and easy before.“They complain all the time.

Working with young directors is different. They are excited and enthusiastic. “Damn, that’s pretty cool. I can make my movie, we’re going to go here, we’re going to do this.” That’s what I want to hear.

I want to tell you about the director William Friedkin, died last August. It was he who offered you one of your first major roles Federal Police, Los Angeles What is your memory of him in 1985?

They are all. This is a special film for me because William Friedkin He was a successful Hollywood film director. But at this time he was no longer popular and said to himself:And then heck, I’m only going to do it with unknown actors.” And it was just exciting. is an example. And in this particular case he was old and I was young (laugh).

She said : “Screw all these guys in Hollywood. I want to do things differently.” There was always something about him that went against the grain. He was a boy who wouldn’t let himself walk. Nobody bought it. Sometimes we would go to the set and he would tell us:We are not going to do what was planned.”

He would find new places to shoot and decide to go there, change his plans. It was full of surprises and sometimes it seemed crazy, but it was always exciting.

Comments collected by Thomas Desroches, Marrakesh, November 25, 2023.