Willem Dafoe on Film, Poetry and Mystery

Actor Willem Dafoe has captivated both stage and screen with his out-of-thebox, brilliant, and often dark performances.  Films like “Platoon”, “The Last Temptation of Christ”,  “The Boondock Saints” and “Shadow of the Vampire” are just a few great films that are a part of his incredible and prolific career. Dafoe recently stopped by the SiriusXM studios to sit down with Ron Bennington and talk about his newest film, “Out of the Furnace.”  Excerpts from that interview appear below.  You can hear the interview in its entirety exclusively on SiriusXM satellite radio.

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Ron Bennington:  I grew up in kind of a factory town…. And this film, it just has that feel. 

Willem Dafoe:  It does. It does. It was very important where we shot. We shot in Braddock, PA. And it really informed everything we did. I think it was – actually the script was born by the director being there. Seeing these steel mills, kind of in their operating in a way – in decline basically.

Ron Bennington:  Yeah, it’s the last days of that. But these are also kind of, it’s almost kind of the last of those kind of men. 

Willem Dafoe:  It’s true

Ron Bennington:  These are the kind of men that I grew up around. Where they would be a little more quieter than you would expect. They were just beat down by this whole thing. But immensely proud. There was always a huge feeling of pride.

Willem Dafoe:  It’s true. And I think one of the things that happens in this movie, you see what happens when people’s beliefs fail them. And they have to make some changes.

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Willem Dafoe Talks About Growing Up In A Factory City

Ron Bennington:  For you growing up in a town like that. Did you feel like an outsider?

Willem Dafoe:  Yeah, I think basically. Because I think from a very young age I knew I was attracted to something that wasn’t happening in my town. But at the same time, looking back at it, I can’t cry. I had a pretty good childhood. I grew up in a paper mill town. That was a very – they participated in the arts to the degree that the sky was the most incredible colors you’ve ever seen.

Ron Bennington:  Right, and there’s an aroma from a paper mill that you cannot describe.

Willem Dafoe:  You got it. It’s true.

Ron Bennington:  But that is an interesting thing. That I think for a kid that when you’re born outside of New York or LA, when all that stuff feels so far away to you. Dreaming, there’s something great about that.

Willem Dafoe:  Yeah, I didn’t know what I wanted to do ever. I just knew it wasn’t there. And I had some sense that there was something outside of where I was that I was interested in.

Ron Bennington:  But there’s an odd guilt that comes along with that too, don’t you think? There’s a strange…

Willem Dafoe:  Like you’re the one that left, or you’re the a deserter. To the condition that you were born into.

Ron Bennington:  Yeah, because these are your people.

Willem Dafoe:  It’s true. I don’t feel guilt so much. I don’t go back there because I don’t have family there. But no, I think I’m very much a product of that upbringing. And I still feel like a Midwesterner But also, a lot of stuff has happened to me since then.

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Willem Dafoe Talks About His Character In “Out Of The Furnace”

Ron Bennington:  The character that you play in this– this guy exists in every town. And it’s the bookie who… he’s kind of part of the community, but at the same time – exactly what is he there for? What’s his purpose?

Willem Dafoe:  Exactly. He lives off the false hopes of people. And in the end, he’s respected, he’s a go to guy, he’s part of the community, people accept him. But in the end, it’s really…he takes care of himself. Because that’s the nature of the choices he’s made. He’s a criminal.

Ron Bennington:  Yeah. But a business man at the same time, right? I mean, in a lot of ways, you could look at the local banker who gives a loan when he shouldn’t. 

Willem Dafoe:  Yep.

Ron Bennington:  The same way the guy who’s running a bar who, yeah, a bar is a great place for a lot of people, but a lot of people are in that bar that are being taken advantage of.

Willem Dafoe:  It’s true. And that’s why it was interesting for me to play him. He does what from one perspective could be seen as very bad things. But he also does take care of the people, and he does care about them. So it’s – what you see in this movie is a community and what you see is how everybody survives. See how their choices are made, and how they interact with each other. And I think everyone can relate to it.

Ron Bennington:  Yeah, certainly I think community becomes even stronger in hard times. In a lot of ways. Because a lot of people are dependent on each other.

Willem Dafoe:  Definitely. Because that’s the only thing that when you’re left with doing the right thing and doing the thing that gets you by. That only works for so long.

Ron Bennington:  Yeah, and there’s an acceptance of faults sometimes in that community. This is what he does, we’re going to keep an eye out for him. I’ll talk to your wife for you. That kind of stuff I think we’re losing and a lot has to do with the fact that there’s so much that you can do in your house now. 

Willem Dafoe:  Yeah. Well I think that the fact that everybody is tied to these electronic devices, they have this false sense of freedom. They’re becoming more – turning more inward. And the communities are breaking down. I mean, the other day I went to a movie and in the regular movie theater it was packed. It was an Italian movie, a very beautiful one called, “La Grande Bellezza”. And it was, I got so high being in this room with all these strangers watching this beautiful and somewhat exotic movie. That’s breaking down. Because people with the internet and going to where the things that you like – people can only go to where they feel comfortable. And their feet are never put to the fire to deal with each other. And I think that we’re feeling that deeply.

(continued on page 2)

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