Willem Dafoe is one of the English-speaking world’s very best actors. Able to switch easily (and convincingly) between menacing and friendly, average guy and unpredictable lunatic, Dafoe has become a cultural and artistic treasure. Back in 1980, though, he was just a young actor doing his best to work on movies whose roles he may not have been fully qualified for—including one that required him to speak fluent Dutch.
This story comes up near the beginning of a Vanity Fair video that sees Dafoe discussing the many films he’s appeared in throughout his career, leading off with his “first IMDB credit,” which was for Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate. Dafoe heard that the director of The Deer Hunter was looking to cast “ethnic faces” (watch the expression he makes after remembering that wording). The audition asked actors to prepare “one monologue in English and one in another language.”
“I had a friend of mine phonetically write out that speech in Dutch,” he says. “They just assumed I was fluent in Dutch!” He remembers Cimino wanted him to “improvise in a scene” and then asked him to do it again in Dutch. Dafoe explained that he couldn’t actually speak the language, but somehow ended up in the movie anyway—until he ended up laughing at a joke while on set during filming and, presumably having pissed Cimino off one too many times, was fired. Still, he’s visible as a cock-fighter “if you look hard enough.”
“That was a very particular situation,” Dafoe says with a grin. Later, he adds both that he “doesn’t really count that as my first movie” and that, all the same, appearing in it with a tiny part means that, yes, he got to “fight Jeff Bridge’s cock.”
The Vanity Fair video has a lot of other great stuff in it, including Dafoe reminiscing on some of his most famous work, from Platoon and Antichrist to The Last Temptation Of Christ, Spider-Man, and The Lighthouse, talking about the kind of roles—and filmmakers—he’s been drawn to throughout his career. None of them, you may notice, involve him pretending to speak fluent Dutch, even when he plays, in French and English, Vincent Van Gogh himself.
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24 Comments
I just want to profess my LOVE for this man. Like the article says, he’s a treasure.
I still think this is one of his more charming and underrated appearances:
He may be a liar, but he’s still the best Count Orlok.
I’d give the edge to Max Schreck, but “Shadow of the Vampire” is an underappreciated movie, and Dafoe is great in it.
I love this movie
The important thing is he was in Streets Of Fire…..
I just love him. He’s pure.
Great actor, not handsome though. Would the female equivalent of him ever landed a movie role? (This is the Buscemi paradox).
Not saying that Ellen Barkin is a “great” actress, but she sure did get a lot of work in the 80s which cast her as the female lead and love/sex interest despite not being what I would consider classically attractive to most people.
fair – but take a look back at her in the 80’s, she was mint.
I don’t see it. She’s always looked a bit off, and that was the unanimous feeling amongst all of my friends back then too, eyes way too far apart and an always-frowning mouth.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000289/mediaviewer/rm1124411393/?ref_=nm_md_2
Hmmm. I just google image searched her. She is one of those actors that suffer from poor work done on her face.
agree – something went very wrong in the 90s or aughts… but google her from the 80’s – she was alright.
Barkin did have something about her. I hope this doesn’t come across as sexist but the one that really gets me is Meg Ryan. She was so cute and now……There is an argument that the need for aging actresses to get plastic surgery and opften to the extremes is due to a sexist and agist society that puts too much pressure on not aging gracefully.
I think the real issue here is not the double standard around attractiveness but rather the fact that such shitty roles are written for women. So many movies basically have one part for a hot chick that there’s little room for women who play anything else. But there are a few women who were able to break out without playing those kinds of roles – I think the closest analogy to Willem Dafoe I can think of is Tilda Swinton.
Eartha kitt landed many roles you savage.
Uh, fuck right on off…
Look at jaw and chin. You’ll never unsee it.Also, I’m available later and accept your offer.Where u at?
“ you know I’m something of a Dutch speaker myself…”
Whoa…Dafoe has now turned into the Green Goblin.
I think Willem Dafoe is consistently the best actor in the States, he is game for almost anything and has an incredible range. Also, is cool.
“I fight Jeff Bridges’ cock.”Mr Dafoe, have you been reading my fan fiction?
Oh man I loved when he and John Lurie went ice fishing on Fishing with John