Willem Dafoe admits that directors are crucial in terms of his selection of movies to feature in.
Willem Dafoe chooses films based on who the director is
The 68-year-old actor features as Dr. Godwin Baxter in the new movie 'Poor Things' – which has been helmed by Yorgos Lanthimos – and explained how he relishes working with those who refuse to compromise behind the camera.
Willem, who has worked with directors including Wes Anderson and Robert Eggers during his acting career, told Total Film magazine: "Directors have always been very important to me because, with a strong director, I can give myself freely to someone.
"I've seen them do things that interest me. I want to be in the room with them. It gives me a purpose. The idea is that I'm there to help them. They're on one side of the camera. I'm the person who does things. I go towards their vision. If that sounds selfless – it's not so selfless."
The 'Nightmare Alley' star continued: "It frees you, because going towards something that you don't know always gives you a lot more energy than crafting something that you already know.
"They're pushing your buttons, and that keeps alive that sense of wonder and play and possibility. It makes your job more of a pleasure. It's the pleasure of having an adventure, and learning something."
Dafoe plays a disfigured surgeon in 'Poor Things' and explained how he embraced the lengthy process of creating the character's appearance.
He said: "I knew there'd be heavy make-up involved. Sometimes that's a pleasure because it's so much easier to lose yourself when you look in a mirror, and you don't feel yourself, or see yourself.
"Also, the time in the chair, and preparing, and radically changing your appearance, it really allows you to step into the pretending so much better."
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