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During an interview for his upcoming movie, "Inside," I asked Willem Dafoe if there's any role left that he wants to play, inquiring if "Star Wars" has ever come up.
Dafoe said he doesn't think of roles in terms of characters, saying, "You don't know what a character is until you get there. The character is made out of the situation and the situation is made out of people and places. And so it's hard to imagine. It's like — What I need, I can't imagine. And if I know what I need, I don't really need it."
I'm a big Batman/Joker fan. So when I mentioned that I've always been able to see a version of the Joker in his Green Goblin performance, I asked if the role of the Clown Prince of Crime has ever been on the table. I had heard the story of "Batman" screenwriter Sam Hamm thinking the actor would've been perfect for the role and Dafoe briefly references it here.
I knew there was some chatter last summer on how Dafoe "fantasized" about playing a "Joker imposter" opposite Joaquin Phoenix in GQ so I asked if he has heard anything at all from "Joker 2" director Todd Phillips. Dafoe gave a swift: "No, ma'am."
As he mentioned, he has some other projects. (Apart from "Inside," he's going to appear in next year's "Nosferatu" film from Robert Eggers, which has a pretty great cast lineup.)
This was a really quick four minute interview that flew by. I had time for one film Q (to come later in the month) and one other question. In total, I prepped a total of five or so questions. You always want to have backups and alternates because you never know if you'll receive long or short responses. Sometimes, you have a split second where you have to decide whether or not you have time for that one extra question knowing you may not have time for another. This was definitely one of those times where it was super tough to not want to try and get in one more. But I knew I would've kicked myself if I never brought up Joker (I read a lot of DC comics around the character) and it was cool to show him some Joker fan art, too, which, as you can see above, he (I think?) seemed to get a kick out of and appreciate. (Joker just so happened to also be topic of conversation online at the moment, too.)
Dafoe was really sweet. He's been an actor most of us have grown up with and a favorite my mom always spoke highly of since I was young. I didn't tell her I was speaking to Dafoe until after our chat. I mentioned that briefly at the end to Dafoe and he was kind enough to end the call with a little hello for her.
In "Inside," Dafoe plays Nemo, a thief who gets unlucky and gets locked in the upscale penthouse he's trying to rob. Low on food and supplies, we watch his slow descent into madness as he tries to find a way to break free. Dafoe's always great to watch on screen and he gives another captivating performance here in a one-man show. One of my favorite moments in this film — which I could see becoming an instant viral clip online — is a scene between Dafoe and a pigeon.
"Inside" is in theaters on March 17.
