Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe
William J. "Willem" Dafoeis an American actor. A member of the experimental theater company The Wooster Group, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Platoonand Shadow of the Vampire. His other film appearances include The Last Temptation of Christ, The English Patientand the Spider-Man trilogy. He has also had voice roles in Finding Nemoand Fantastic Mr. Fox...
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth22 July 1955
CityAppleton, WI
style important directors
The director's very important to me, particularly when the director has a recognizable style.
cds islands decision
Let's hope I never end up on a deserted island, because I could never make a decision on which three CDs to take with me.
character suffering actors
As you get older, you suffer fools less easily. That's why there's all those cranky character actors. I'm an exception. I'm a sweetheart.
boys games squares
Weirdness is not my game. I'm just a square boy from Wisconsin.
boys men thinking
Sometimes I think women are lucky because they can develop in ways men can't. The old-boy network may be oppressive to women, but it actually stunts men in terms of personal growth.
games people important
I feel like it's important to be flexible, particularly when I'm coming in late in the game and I'm connective tissue in the story. I'm not at the very center. It's important for me to have a certain kind of flexibility and try to help people do what they need to do.
adventure actors different
Central to being an actor is pretending, and the adventure of it all. That's why you become a junkie for different kinds of situations.
art dad thinking
The Midwest isn't somewhere you mix with those from the performing arts. But my mum and dad would go off to Chicago every so often to see shows. They would bring back the albums and the movies, those little eight metres, and we would all watch. I think that was when I fell in love with acting.
kids ideas challenges
When I was a kid I was very interested in the idea of the will, finding out what you're capable of. I liked those kind of challenges.
choices actors
Any actor who tells you that he makes choices, absolutely, is wrong. You find work and work finds you.
real dvds people
The real difficulty for smaller films, when they're made independently and it's time to go for a distributor, sometimes if it's a tough film and the people who financed it need their money back right away, it's much easier and lucrative to take a DVD deal.
inspiration action
Action breeds inspiration more than inspiration breeds action.
character people giving
I try to attach myself to people who really inspire me, and directors who are really passionate. That way, I can give myself more fully and trust the impulse behind why the film is being made, and I can be a little more irresponsible in finding out what the character is.
theatre film preference
I don't have a preference between theatre and film; I like to do both. But I will say that there's something about theatre that is more nourishing and sustaining than film ever can be.