Willem Dafoe loves working with Robert Eggers: “He’s a great filmmaker, and I enjoy his company”
It may have taken 40-odd years, but it’s clear to everyone now that Willem Dafoe is one of the greatest living actors. With a career spanning four decades, his extensive body of work encompasses a broad range of roles across countless genres.
From the seductive vampire in Shadow of the Vampire to the gentle and deeply empathetic motel owner in The Florida Project, Dafoe’s performances are nothing short of captivating and continue to evolve and develop over time. However, his recent collaborations with director Robert Eggers have seen audiences reclaim Dafoe as their favourite – and according to Dafoe, he knows his relationship with the director is special.
Eggers, a well-established auteur director by this point, has been dominating the art-house horror subgenre for the last decade. The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman have all demonstrated him to be a supremely skilled storyteller who has mastered surreal, frightening and period-accurate filmmaking that guarantees sensational performances from any actors cast in it. With his knock-out portrayal of a salty lighthouse keeper in Eggers’ second film, Dafoe is no exception.
Considering the heavy-hitting directors Dafoe has worked with, names such as Oliver Stone, Wes Anderson, and William Friedkin, it’s telling that he’s singled out this one in particular. Dafoe’s passion for his creative partnership with Eggers came to light during an interview with Collider, where Dafoe made it pretty plain: “I just love working with Robert Eggers”. He explained how their collaborations began: “I saw The Witch, and I liked it so much, I arranged a meeting with him.”
This meeting sparked a professional relationship that resulted in The Lighthouse, a film that Dafoe enjoyed making and considers a “very good movie”. A testament to his devotion to Eggers, Dafoe’s involvement with Eggers’ projects continued after The Lighthouse, with the two reuniting once again for the epic Viking saga The Northman. “Then I did a little part in The Northman, which I really enjoyed, and now I get to do this,” Dafoe continued. The “this” film he’s referring to is their next venture together, Nosferatu – a remake of the classic vampire tale that has been a passion project long in the making for the director.
Most importantly, however, what seems to have cemented this connection is not just their shared passion for making excellent films but also genuine mutual respect and camaraderie. “I’m just happy to be back with him,” Dafoe explained. Considering the two of them have given us one of the most unique and singular pieces of cinema in the 21st century with The Lighthouse, it’s reassuring to hear that the two have genuine affection for each other.
In an industry notorious for its fickle and ever-changing nature, driven by constantly evolving financial situations, political climates and flavours of the week, authentic and long-standing friendships between directors, actors, and crewmembers are pivotal in maintaining a brand of cinema that has soul and artistic integrity. Dafoe summarised his fondness with beautiful simplicity: “He’s a great filmmaker, and I enjoy his company.”
Nosferatu, which reportedly wrapped production in April, sees the director collaborating for the first time with Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult and Lily Rose-Depp, as well as reuniting with Ralph Inneson.
