Willem Dafoe on Film, Poetry and Mystery

Published by Interrobang Staff at December 26, 2013

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Willem Dafoe Talks About His Early Career In New York

Ron Bennington: You were here in New York in that crazy, kind of magical time.

Willem Dafoe: A beautiful time, a beautiful time.

Ron Bennington: And yet everybody thought…if you would have read the newspapers.

Willem Dafoe: It’s the end of the world.

Ron Bennington: The worst time ever to be in New York.

Willem Dafoe: “Drop dead New York”.

Ron Bennington: What is it about, I read this before and I think it’s one of the greatest things that – Art comes from young people and old buildings.

Willem Dafoe: Oh, that’s good. That’s part of it. The other thing that was happening there was that you had people that were just doing things without any kind of career aspirations or training. It was kind of like, people, dancers were making films. Filmmakers were making music. Musicians were dancing. It was all mixed up. And people were crossing all kinds of lines and doing different kinds of collaborations. That’s what was exciting.

Ron Bennington: Yeah. And you weren’t doing it thinking this is going to be the most successful thing, this is going to put me over.

Willem Dafoe: Right. There was also a community that floated your work. When I first started working in the theater at the Wooster Group, we were a very small community of people. But it’s a community that had a dialogue and kind of pushed our work, and supported our work, and somehow we survived. It was a community theater. But it happened to be in New York City. And then after some time, you know, it started to get picked up by other places. And we started to tour and get an international reputation. It was only until that happens and we re-enter New York that we became acceptable.

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Willem Dafoe Talks About Choosing Characters To Play

Ron Bennington: It always comes up that you pick your characters – your characters are so fringe like. Dark. But you are attracted to that.

Willem Dafoe: I am. Because I think that’s where we learn things. We’re so busy maintaining this kind of thing that we have that we have to go to people that don’t participate in that to kind of get a fresh perspective. I think. I mean that’s kind of a simple way to look at it. But I think it’s true. It’s been true for me. It’s like I’m a kid from the Midwest that wants to do good. God fearing and all that. And then I come to New York and get a little politically radicalized. But I’m still a product of the Midwest and a product – a child of capitalism and all that. But it’s only when I get outside of that I get inspired.

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Willem Dafoe Talks About Films That Make Audiences Think

Ron Bennington: When you did that film– “4:44 Last Day on Earth”– there was such an amazing experience in the theater too because everything was so quiet after. That we’re not used to going to films that we can’t already figure out. That anytime you step out of, “Wait, there’s not going to be some hero who fixes everything?” and I don’t know how we go that place in film that we don’t go to learn anymore.

Willem Dafoe: Well I think there’s always been that. There’s all kinds of movies and I think there’s always been those movies that are feel good movies and just distract us. But it depends on your character and what you like to do. I’m happiest at movies that make me change my mind about something. Or remind me about something I forgot. And now some of the entertainment movies are getting so sophisticated, and so managed, and so closed, and so exact that they’re reaching the level of perfection that’s just incredible. For that purpose. But they leave me a little cold. So I’m always searching for stuff that kind of makes me feel, makes me start thinking new again. Makes me feel like a kid again. Makes me feel like that crazy kid in 1975 hitting New York City. That everything was…

Ron Bennington: Fresh.

Willem Dafoe: …wonder. And you weren’t stuck.

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Willem Dafoe On Inspiration

Ron Bennington: You have to go out of your way to find that now though? I guess you’ve traveled the world.

Willem Dafoe: I think you do. I think you do. But you find it in people. You look around and you try to be in the movie with people that inspire you. And I think I’ve always been kind of driven by that. Even more than materials some times. Because material can deceive you.

Ron Bennington: Is that right?

Willem Dafoe: Yeah, because you don’t know what it is until you make it. It’s not about interpretation. It’s not just about literature. It’s not just about narrative. It’s about other things too. It’s about a certain kind of poetry and mystery. And stuff that you don’t even know until you get there. So I’d rather do that with people that are open to discover that, than people that are just good, very good technicians that can make a product.

Ron Bennington: So subconsciously is how you’re choosing most of your roles? You’re just like, something feels…

Willem Dafoe: Instinct, instinct. And then sometimes if I get scared or something, I can sometimes make a list and say I know I’m doing it because of this, this, and this. And they may be seen sometimes like for strange reasons, but as long as you have the reasons. Because what you want to do is free yourself so you don’t ever not trust. You don’t want to be blind, and you don’t want to be an idiot and just throw yourself into something that you don’t know what it is. But at the same time, you have to do that.

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