Willem Dafoe, who is at the Sarajevo Film Festival to receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award as well as support Miguel Ángel Jiménez’s “The Birthday Party,” gave an in-depth career masterclass where he spoke about some of his most iconic roles. He also, very briefly, touched upon current American politics.
Speaking about his Oscar-nominated role in Sean Baker’s 2017 drama “The Florida Project,” Dafoe was reminded of giving an interview to Larry King upon the film’s release as the U.S. entered the first Trump administration. On the occasion, the actor said America was “not going in the right direction.” When the moderator opened a space for the actor to reflect on whether or not he thinks the country is still misdirected, Dafoe kept quiet, before asking: “You gotta be kidding me with this question, right?”
“If you know anything about me and you do, that’s not a real question,” he added simply, moving on to the next subject.
Looking back at his career, the actor discussed another controversial subject: Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ,” where he played the titular role. The actor said he thought it was a “beautiful role,” exploring “the human part of Jesus” as a guy “who rejects the responsibility given to him.”
“It’s one of my favourite roles because it was so demanding,” he continued. “You’re in every shot. We had very little resources, we shot very fast, no money, but that was the way to shoot it because we didn’t get distracted by the spectacle. We could only do what we do. There was a beauty, a grace, and simplicity to it.”
Asked if he thought the heated reaction to the film was shocking, the actor concurred, adding that the controversy was mostly “driven by the religious right who needed something to energize their cause.” He added: “They complained about the idea of the movie. They hadn’t seen it.”
“Then it morphed into a strange thing about Jews in Hollywood and became an antisemitic thing,” he added. “It snowballed. The perception is that it was the Catholic Church, and it wasn’t the Catholic Church; it was the fundamental right in America that started [it]. I was shocked because in an age of super-violent movies and porn, this is a movie that was trying to address the nature of faith. It was a sincere attempt.”
The actor quipped when asked whether he “enjoyed” the experience of being crucified, saying it was “an experience.” “I put any of you up on a cross and you’ll have an experience. In fact, if all of this goes to hell, I can find a patch of land and make it an experience.”
Commenting on his role as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man,” Dafoe said he “really enjoyed playing that role, particularly the original one.”
“The original ‘Spider-Man’ was a lot of fun because within a scene it could switch from very dramatic to very comic, which is very difficult to do. It’s got a great sense of humor, but it’s not light. And I like doing the action stuff. When the first ‘Spider-Man’ was made, you were still using wires. There was less CGI, and it was fun because it’s athletic. It’s very concrete, very tangible. Everything in your body and your mind goes towards that, and that’s what you look for as an actor.”
On asking to do his own stunts, Dafoe said he doesn’t “want gaps” in his performance. “You want to take responsibility for everything so all the dots connect. When you’re working on a role you don’t know whether it’s going to function or not, but the best you can do is be there for every action.”
The actor spoke about his frequent collaborators, such as Abel Ferrara (“The collaboration is very personal, and sometimes we go back and forth I don’t know who the director is. It’s very fluid”) and Paul Schrader (“He’s always got lots of ideas, but he doesn’t work conventionally with actors. He expects you to know your job”), as well as giving a small insight into Robert Eggers’s next film, “Werwulf.”
Dafoe is currently in pre-production on his fourth collaboration with the English director, and said he loves working with Eggers because of his intricate research. “He’s giving them material that excites me; it turns me on,” he added. “Who knew I had an interest in the 1300s in England? He seduces you into being in that world. He’s a passionate, smart guy. I like his aesthetic sensibility, and he’s very kind. He’s a whole package.”
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