The movie director Willem Dafoe called a “freak of research”
Will there ever be another actor quite like Willem Dafoe? That is the question, and the answer is most likely a resounding “no”. After all, Dafoe seems to be comfortable in whatever role he is placed in, whether in huge blockbuster superhero movies or small, emotional independent dramas, boasting a range quite unlike any of his contemporaries.
A genuine legend of Hollywood, Dafoe has extended his talents in the likes of To Live and Die in L.A., Platoon, The Florida Project, Spider-Man, The Last Temptation of Christ and At Eternity’s Gate, proving the stunning versatility of the Wisconsin-born star.
With all the brilliant efforts that Dafoe has given throughout his career, it’s an interesting facet of thought to wonder about which of his directors he has most enjoyed working with. Considering the fact Dafoe has collaborated with the likes of Lars von Trier, Martin Scorsese and Sam Raimi, we might think one of those names, but in terms of the actor’s most recent efforts, it’s hard to look beyond Robert Eggers.
After all, Dafoe gave one of the best performances of his career when starring in Eggers’ 2019 film The Lighthouse alongside Robert Pattinson. Together, the two actors play a pair of 19th-century lighthouse keepers who find themselves trapped at a New England outpost during an intense storm, with Eggers ramping up the psychological horror.
Dafoe simply loved working with Eggers and one told the BFI how rigorous a process the director goes through when making his movies. “Eggers is a freak for research,” Dafoe said. “He lives in these times. He’s one of these guys in his imagination. When I said I wanted to do this, he presented me with many things to watch, many things to read, and many things to listen to. Everything from sea shanties to pictures to videos of interviews of old lighthouse keepers, vintage footage to accent tapes. You go as deep as you want to go.”
Indeed, there’s often a historical element to Eggers’ movies, which also include the likes of The Witch, The Northman andNosferatu, so the New York-born filmmaker often has a lot of the past to dive into, which not only breathes an air of authenticity over the films themselves, but also allows their actors to give their best performances.
Dafoe saw Eggers’ first movie, 2015’s The Witch, and straight away wanted to meet the director, at which point a new collaborative relationship was born. “I liked him a great deal,” Dafoe said. “He knew my work from the theatre as well as films. He had a good film culture. He was smart. He was a self-starter. I liked how he talked. I liked his movie. We said, ‘Let’s try to do something,’ and we tried.”
Following Dafoe’s brilliant performance in The Lighthouse, plus a smaller role in The Northman, he later signed up to star in the Eggers’ gothic horror film Nosferatu, also starring Bill Skarsbarg, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula and serving as a remake of F. W. Murnau’s 1922 silent German Expressionist vampire film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.
“I just love working with Robert Eggers,” Dafoe had gushed of his new frequent collaborator. “I’m just happy to be back with him. He’s a great filmmaker, and I enjoy his company.”
