Willem Dafoe Brings His Signature Style to Nosferatu – As Well As These Other Films
From horror to comedy, Dafoe always adds something special to the mix
In Nosferatu, Robert Eggers adapts a classic horror film, bringing a new vision to its chilling tale of obsession and desire. When Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is asked to travel to the far reaches of Europe to bring a contract to the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), he unwittingly unleashes a wave of terror on all he loves. To confront this unnatural horror, Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz (Willem Dafoe), a scientist obsessed with the occult, is brought in to treat those infected, including Hutter’s wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp).
Eggers cast Dafoe for his unique ability to create unforgettable characters in even the smallest parts. Having been in the last three of Eggers’ films, Dafoe instills both a depth of feeling and an unexpected sense of humor in his performances. “ I was very happy when Eggers proposed this role of Von Franz, because clearly it was a role that was a guilty pleasure for him,” Dafoe told Deadline, adding, “I felt very strongly that this is the role he would play if he weren’t directing.” While Dafoe plays the part with panache and theatricality, he also grounds it with a 19th-century voice of reason. RogerEbert.com writes, “It's a completely poker-faced performance as a guy who's seen this kind of thing before and knows what to do.” The Playlist notes, “Dafoe is always remarkable, and that doesn’t change here.”
With Nosferatu coming to theaters on December 25, we are highlighting some of this actor’s other tour-de-force performances.
Nosferatu is only in theaters December 25, so get tickets now!
The official trailer for Nosferatu
Dafoe in The Northman
The Northman
After starring in Eggers’ The Lighthouse, Dafoe was cast as Heimir the Fool in the director’s The Northman. The film focuses on a young prince, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), who vows to avenge the death of his father (Ethan Hawke) and the betrayal of his mother (Nicole Kidman). As the court’s jester, Heimir provides both comic relief and a powerful connection to the spirit world for the young prince. His performance, UDS writes, “left an indelible impression on the film.” Dafoe’s crazed, comic turn defines a world caught between brutal existence and mythical netherworld. Indeed, Dafoe’s Heimer is “The Northman’s secret weapon,” writes Slate, noting how it taps “into the primal energy of nature’s savage side.”
The official trailer for The Northman
Willem Dafoe in Inside
Inside
Willem Dafoe delivers an unforgettable solo performance in Vasilis Katsoupis’ psychological thriller, Inside. When a heist to steal a priceless Egon Schiele self-portrait goes sideways, the art thief (Dafoe) finds himself locked inside a high-tech, uber-luxurious apartment. His gilded cage turns into a nightmare when he discovers that there is no food or water in this paradise. Deadline writes that this situation sets the stage for “a psychological thriller about survival, an art film all about art and its meaning in our lives.” For Collider, “everything is glued together by another Dafoe performance that proves he’s one of the greatest actors of all time.”
The official trailer for Inside
Willem Dafoe and Edward Norton in Asteroid City
Asteroid City
In Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, Willem Dafoe plays Saltzburg Keitel, a celebrated acting teacher akin to drama guru Lee Strasberg. This sci-fi comedy about a group of people from the 1950s who have an out-of-this-world experience while attending a conference in the desert is woven together by an amazing ensemble of actors, including Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Steve Carell, and Dafoe. The Independent writes, “Much of the pleasure here comes from the perfectly calibrated and very deadpan performances from his actors, even those in the minor parts.” Dafoe, who has been in five Anderson films, tells Dazed that he shows up “because Wes's approach is deeply personal and weirdly artisanal,” not unlike his performances.
The official trailer for Asteroid City
Willem Dafoe in The Card Counter
The Card Counter
Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter explores a potent triangle of revenge and redemption. A young man (Tye Sheridan) blames a retired major (Willem Dafoe)—who was responsible for the torture in an Iraqi prison—for his father’s suicide. To get revenge, he solicits the help of William Tell, a professional poker player who once served time for his part in prisoner abuse. Shrader, who has collaborated with Dafoe in six of his previous features, cast the actor to personify institutional evil. As a psychologist hired by military bureaucracy to come up with insidious forms of “enhanced interrogation,” Dafoe is “scary, sensational,” writes ABC News.
The official trailer for The Card Counter