Willem Dafoe says imitative biopics and ‘needy’ actors repel him
Willem Dafoe has said biopics that “try to do an imitation” and actors that are “too needy” repel him.
The 68-year-old US actor, who has starred in films including Spider-Man (2002) and The Lighthouse (2019), discussed what it was like to play a character part-inspired by US journalist Hunter S Thompson in 2023 film Gonzo Girl.
Speaking to The Guardian, he said: “Of course, we borrow a lot from the real-life character, but I never wanted to do an imitation.
“That’s why biopics that try to do an imitation always drive me crazy, because it ultimately becomes a show of the actor.
“Somewhere that embarrasses me and repels me.
“Really. And the actors that repel me are ones that are too needy.”
In the film, which sees American actress Patricia Arquette make her directorial debut, Dafoe portrays Walker Reade, a novelist who has a reputation for drugs and partying.
The film is based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Cheryl Della Pietra, loosely inspired by her time spent working as an assistant for Thompson.
Dafoe, who has been acting for more than four decades, said it is “tragic” that people now tend to watch movies at home rather than in the cinema.
He said: “The kind of attention that people give at home isn’t the same.
“More difficult movies, more challenging movies can not do as well, when you don’t have an audience that’s really paying attention.
“That’s a big thing. I miss the social thing of where movies fit in the world.
“You go see a movie, you go out to dinner, you talk about it later, and that spreads out.
“People now go home, they say, ‘Hey, honey, let’s watch something stupid tonight,’ and they flip through and they watch five minutes of 10 movies, and they say, forget it, let’s go to bed. Where’s that discourse found?”
Speaking further on the film industry, he said: “There aren’t ballsy producers like there used to be.
“There are some savvy ones, but you don’t have the same kind of characters that you used to have, that would sell their house to make a movie, and do crazy things to get it done.
“They’re a little harder to find.”
In his career Dafoe has received a number of accolades including the Honorary Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival in 2018.
On Saturday he received the excellence in artistry award at the 2024 Astra Film Awards and for Yorgos Lanthimos directed film Poor Things, Dafoe is nominated for best performance by a male actor in a supporting role at the Golden Globes taking place on Sunday evening in the US.
