MERCILESS VILLAIN NORMAN OSBORN, NOBLE SERGEANT GORDON ELAIS, TRAGIC GENIUS PIER PAOLO PASOLINI, UNHINGED GANGSTER BOBBY PERU…A FOUR-TIME ACADEMY AWARDS NOMINEE THROUGHOUT DECADES LONG CAREER PLAYED MANY DIVERSE CHARACTERS – GENIUSES, VILLAINS, ORDINARY PEOPLE. AUDIENCE AND CRITICS LOVE HIS PERFORMANCES; HE LIVED, DIED AND REVIVED OVER AND OVER AGAIN ON THE SCREEN. FOR PORTRAYING MAX SCHRECK IN “SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE” ONLY HE RECEIVED 18 NOMINATIONS, WINNING EIGHT AWARDS. RECENTLY, WILLEM DAFOE TRIED ON A NEW ROLE OF A TEXAS GAMBLER JOE CRIBBENS IN “DEAD FOR A DOLLAR” WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY WALTER HILL.
Classic Westerns were most popular in Hollywood back in the 1950s, what lead to your recent choice of this genre?
Americans grew up watching Wild West movies. I like its poetry: tough guys riding horses around vast expanses of deserts. Yet, despite being tough and living their harsh lives, there is some sort of nobility, code of honour, always keeping their word. If that doesn’t make you feel nostalgic I don’t know what does. Western is an American cultural heritage, a symbol of American dream that formed a strong belief in people’s consciousness that absolutely anyone has a chance in life.
You’ve worked with Walter Hill (an American film director, he has directed such films as The Driver, Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs. and its sequel Another 48 Hrs., Streets of Fire and Red Heat) before…
…40 years ago, in “Streets of Fire”. It was my first biggest performance in Hollywood. Feels like over the years we haven’t changed much except that we got a bit older. I would rather say his Western changed a lot. Walter significantly pushed traditional boundaries of this genre, broke down good-guy/bad-guy distinction; our characters are fragile and humane. It is a modern Western and we are not quite the cowboys anymore.
I HAVE MY FAVORITE DIRECTORS THAT I ALWAYS FOLLOW REGARDLESS THE MOVIE BUDGET AND AUDIENCE REVIEWS
You are playing a villain – how can one sympathize such a character?
My Joe Cribbens is not that evil. Though he does a lot of bad stuff he still has morals. He has his values and strictly sticks to them. He knows what he wants and always keeps his word. He has no self-illusions, recognizing his weak and strong sides. However, I did not create Joe, Walter did. Being an outstanding screenwriter, he creates striking characters. Everything you see on the screen is meticulously written in the script.
However, every actor goes through a process of getting into a character. How does yours go?
Perhaps it starts when I play a scene, I picture myself in a specific situation yet rely on my experience. My job is to respond to different circumstances. I think it is essential for an actor to have two key traits – flexible mindset and dedication. As to Joe Cribbens, I knew how to ride a horse, nevertheless had to refresh my skills. I also knew how to shoot a weapon, even though I don’t own a gun and unlike some Americans I don’t think I need one. Only hunters need guns. As to the actual role, I didn’t do much prep work, I have relied on visualisation, just picturing the scene and character’s response to it. I think, one can achieve better results using this technique rather than come to rehearsals every day.
I LIKE ART, IT IS A WAY OF GETTING CLOSER TO ETERNITY FOR ME. PAINTING IS SAME AS MEDITATING
Creative person is always a little crazy, don’t you agree?
I am sure creative people are often mistaken for being mad. For instance, when I decided to become an actor I moved from a small town (William James Dafoe was born on July 22, 1955, in Appleton, Wisconsin) in Wisconsin to New York city. Back in the 1970s it was a hectic, dangerous, criminal city with no hope for redemption. Economic collapse, robbery, assault – all of these were new to a country boy. Other than that, I had no money and no connections there. I settled in a bad neighbourhood and already then, I had to start improvising, pretending to be tough and rude, take part in street fights. If any of my friends would have seen me back then they would have certainly thought I was crazy. Maybe I was. Everything is relative in this world!
What do you think about a belief that geniuses are born from God?
Firstly, let me clarify my position regarding religion. I think, the Holy book is one of the wisest books in the world. Although my perception of it is rather philosophical than religious. Ancient Holy books bear so much wisdom and information about life and past, our heritage and ancestors, about their way of thinking. You may find many handy advices there and even discover the meaning of life. I had a chance to play Van Gough, a very devout man. He was completely broke, yet clearly realising his art would never help him survive he continued painting, believing that it was his calling and he was fulfilling Lord’s will. He believed that he was sowing a crop for future generations to harvest and that his art would be embraced long after he was gone. And that is exactly what happened. He was also considered crazy however this madman had a clear understanding where he belongs in this world. Some of the dialogues he had with his doctor were recovered from his letters. He would ask the artist: “Why do you paint?” And Van Gough would answer: “To stop thinking”.
I LIKE TO BE HELPFUL AT THE SET, TO BE PART OF THE IDEA, FOLLOW DIRECTOR’S INSTRUCTIONS. IT FULFILLS ME AS AN ACTOR AND AS AN INDIVIDUAL
If you weren’t an actor you would have been an artist, how true is that?
I like art, it is a way of getting closer to eternity for me. Painting is same as meditating. While my mind switches off, intuition, fantasy and imagination power up. I started painting many years ago, in 1980s during the shooting of William Friedkin’s “Live and Die in LA”. I was obsessed with art, drawing and later with big scale painting. You need time and a studio for oil painting and I travel a lot. While I was sketching, personality crisis started to happen. I kept asking myself what am I going to do with all these canvases? I never had any ambitions of exhibiting or selling my art, I could only gift my best of them to friends. So, then I started painting over less successful ones with third or even fourth layer, yet somehow there were multiplying and I decided to take a break.
During shooting of “At Eternity’s Gate” (a biographical drama film about the final years of painter Vincent van Gogh's life (2018) ) you started painting again...
Under Julian’s patronage. He is not just a talented director but he is also a well-known artist. That was the moment I realised I was a rookie in art, seeing everything in one frame. I focused on the general form of an object but Julian literally opened my eyes. We were once working on a planner, I was sketching a tree, Julian noticed my techniques and immediately interfered: “Forget about the tree! Think about its colors, these beautiful yellow shades here. There are so many of them! Some are grey, some are blue and red. Work on that!”. He showed me a way to see the tree from a different perspective – its parts and details, how to build a form and surface whereas before I only focused on copying the actual form of an object.
ANCIENT HOLY BOOKS BEAR SO MUCH WISDOM AND INFORMATION ABOUT LIFE AND PAST, OUR HERITAGE AND ANCESTORS, ABOUT THEIR WAY OF THINKING
It seems equally easy for you to simultaneously take part in large-scale studio pictures and small-budgeted independent projects, how do you manage that?
I never worked for money. Creative side is most important for me in acting. Before I sign any offers I always ask who is leading the project. I have my favorite directors that I always follow regardless the movie budget and audience reviews. Among those are Abel Ferrara(filmmaker, known for the provocative content in his movies and his use of neo-noir imagery ), Julian Schnabel, Paul Schrader. I like spending time with them, they inspire me. Besides, a movie will certainly benefit from collaboration with familiar directors.
Have your views about cinema and acting changed with time?
I have never been afraid of aging. I have always admired older actors even when I was young just starting my career. The way they moved in front of a camera seemed to have exceptional beauty and wisdom. I think soon enough I will achieve that. It is definitely time if you consider my age. I like to be helpful at the set, to be part of the idea, follow director’s instructions. It fulfills me as an actor and as an individual.
I AM ITALIAN IN A SENSE – LOVE TO THINK AND TALK ABOUT FOOD LIKE ANY OTHER APPENNINIAN
How do you maintain your physique?
Just when I marked 50 years, journalists started asking me weird questions, like “are you afraid you will lose your job?” And I always responded that I am not afraid because as an actor gets older his acting becomes wiser, neatly elaborating in from of the camera. I have been practicing yoga for nearly 25 years, it helps me move skillfully and age gracefully.
You are often seen in Italy and you fluently speak Italian. What drives you there?
I am Italian in a sense – love to think and talk about food like any other Appenninian. I think about lunch at breakfast and about dinner at lunch. My favorite food is pasta therefore first thing I do wherever I travel I look for a restaurant famous for their pasta. For instance, Ristorante Da Nino has the best pasta in Rome and in Sicily, I always go back to Osteria Tre Colli in Ragusa. Besides, I married an Italian (Giada Colagrande, an Italian film director and actress) which tied me to a big Italian family – that’s when the urge to speak the language emerged. As usual, I never had much spare time so I learned the language listening to Franco Battiato’s songs (an Italian musician, singer, and, under the pseudonym Süphan Barzani, also a painter).
Do you believe in fate?
I am not superstitious, I don’t rely on dreams and I am not big dreamer. I believe, all these quotes about following your dream are misleading people, wasting their time. Why not stop dreaming and start doing something useful? People will have a lot less mental disorders by virtue of this.
WESTERN IS AN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE, A SYMBOL OF AMERICAN DREAM THAT FORMED A STRONG BELIEF IN PEOPLE’S CONSCIOUSNESS THAT ABSOLUTELY ANYONE HAS A CHANCE IN LIFE
