Willem Dafoe Discusses New Role in ‘Late Fame’ and Collaborations with Eggers and Lanthimos

Willem Dafoe is in the midst of a busy year, headlining the drama “Late Fame,” which opens in New York on Aug. 7 and rolls out to Los Angeles and other cities later in August. He plays Ed Saxberger, a former poet turned postal clerk who has deliberately slipped into anonymity until a charismatic intellectual, played by Edmund Donovan, reintroduces him to a circle of fading artists, sparking a crisis of fame. Dafoe reflects on his roots in New York’s 1970s experimental theater scene and his role in founding the Wooster Group, noting how those early, passionate communities influenced his career.

He praises the demanding yet exhilarating collaborations with Robert Eggers on the 13th-century horror “Werwulf” and with Yorgos Lanthimos on recent films, emphasizing that he seeks directors whose enthusiasm “burns hot.” Dafoe also contrasts the creative freedoms of independent projects with the structured logistics of big-budget productions, explaining how each setting offers distinct challenges and opportunities. The interview touches on his preparation for a scene where his character reads a decades-old poem, a piece co-written by director Kent Jones and shaped by Dafoe’s own input. Overall, the conversation underscores Dafoe’s enduring commitment to intense, artistically driven filmmaking.