‘Theatre puts a finger in the wound’: Willem Dafoe returns to his first love in Venice

He is a transfixing screen presence – but he lives for the raw thrill of the stage. As he takes over the Venice theatre biennale, the star lets us know what to expect: cut-up plays and a Pinocchio unlike any otherSitting in his house in Rome, an overstuffed bookcase and a distressed wooden door behind him, Willem Dafoe scrunches his hair as though kneading the thoughts in his head. The 69-year-old, Wisconsin-born actor could pass today for any genial, bristle-moustached handyman in checked shirt and horn-rimmed specs. (Perhaps he even built the bookcase and distressed the door himself.) But it’s that hand that is the giveaway: it keeps scrunching as he talks until the hair is standing in jagged forks. As a visualisation of what is happening in his brain, it is second to none.We are speaking in April on the anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth (and death), which feels apt given that it is Dafoe’s two-year appointment as artistic director of the international theatre festival at the Venice Biennale that has occasioned our video call today. He looks sheepish when I point out the significance of the date, then reverts to his usual wolfish expression. “Ah, Shakespeare doesn’t care,” he says with a wave of the hand. Dafoe has never had much of a relationship with those plays. “There’s a lot of pointing and indicating when people perform them. A lot of leading the audience. Those are things I don’t think are very vital. But it’s such beautiful writing, and I’ve become interested in doing Shakespeare in my dotage.” Could there be a Lear on the horizon? “Why not?” he says with a goofy wobble of the head. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Oscar winning Kramer Vs Kramer director Robert Benton dies aged 92

Metro

Comments

Similar News

House of Games at Hampstead Theatre review: an efficient, tense piece of work that never quite sings

Kim’s Convenience jumps from Netflix to a theatre near you - what's the verdict?

Ticket sales for Scottish theatre '200 per cent higher' than last year

Marie and Rosetta at the Rose Theatre, Kingston: magnificent singing, pedestrian script

Here We Are at the National Theatre, Lyttelton review: should this have been staged at all?

Could a new wave of urgent theatre hold the key to tackling climate change?

David Harewood to return to Othello almost 30 years after groundbreaking National Theatre production

Weer by Natalie Palamides at Soho Theatre Walthamstow review: spectacular show to open a spectacular location

What's on at Walthamstow's new Soho Theatre?

Giant at the Harold Pinter Theatre review: 'there is no more urgent play in London right now'

Clap-happy audiences are ruining theatre

London Theatre Shimmers with Mirrors and Memory

Theatre praises Oldman's 'thrilling' York return

'Subtle it ain't...': The Merry Widow at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow

Soho Theatre Walthamstow opens: 'you will be taken aback by the aesthetic gorgeousness!'

Paul Mescal headlines National Theatre’s bold new season as Stormzy debuts for ground-breaking collaboration

The best theatre to stream this month: how Stranger Things shook the stage

How 25 working-class Manchester kids became a theatre troupe – and could help change the face of British acting

Theatre critics to recognise Scotland's best panto for first time

My Master Builder at Wyndham’s Theatre review: Ewan McGregor's first stage appearance in 17 years is a dud

Culture

Oscar winning Kramer Vs Kramer director Robert Benton dies aged 92

ESPN says its direct-to-consumer streaming service will debut in September at $29.99 a month

Dave Franco and Alison Brie sued for ‘blatant rip-off’ of indie film

Celine Dion makes rare public statement in special Eurovision message

The 10 Eurovision acts advancing to the grand final

Simon Pegg shares daughter’s sweet nickname for Tom Cruise as toddler

Jennifer Coolidge delivers heartfelt commencement speech about being a ‘very strange kid’

Absurd Estonian act opts for Italian parody as Eurovision semi-final kicks off

Dutch belt out their return to Eurovision with violins

Celine Dion wants ‘nothing more’ than to be at Eurovision

‘Staggeringly grisly’ new horror sequel debuts to huge 91% Rotten Tomatoes score

Nvidia to send 18,000 AI chips to Saudi Arabia

Microsoft to lay off about 3% of its workforce

Watch: Celebrity Traitors cast in BBC’s dramatic first-look teaser

Robert Benton death: Oscar-winning director of Kramer vs. Kramer dies aged 92

Who are the major players in Diddy’s trial?

‘Diminished’ Biden didn’t recognize George Clooney at actor’s fundraiser, book claims

How the Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast compares to the original films

Love, Death + Robots season 4 release date, cast and what to expect

'This is my closure': Emotional Kim Kardashian shares fears and forgives robber in court

Gary Lineker deletes 'Zionism' post amid criticism

In “Jetty,” a Grand Infrastructure Project Becomes Both Visually and Politically Compelling

U.N. agencies warn that Israel's plans for aid distribution will endanger lives in Gaza

Cannes set to open with a 3-film salute to Ukraine and De Niro getting an honorary Palme d'Or

Trump administration slashes another $450 million in federal grants to Harvard

UnitedHealth Group CEO steps down as company lowers, then withdraws financial outlook for 2025

Some plants cause more suffering than others for gardeners with pollen allergies

Trump's $4.9 trillion tax plan targets Medicaid to offset costs

Celebrity Traitors full-line up revealed as Stephen Fry, Ted Lasso star and more sign up

Who is Yuval Raphael? The singer and 7 October survivor representing Israel at Eurovision 2025

Rocker stops concert to propose to girlfriend on stage in ‘beautiful’ moment

Stephen Fry and Charlotte Church lead Celebrity Traitors cast as line-up is finally confirmed

Star-studded Celebrity Traitors line-up confirmed

Sept. 11 turns life upside down for a 'Happy Family' in Ramy Youssef's animated show

Conan O'Brien proves a worthy recipient of Mark Twain award in a new Netflix special

Robert Benton, Influential Director and Screenwriter, Dies at 92

April Showers Bring May Flowers, the Playlist

George Clooney and Denzel Washington Power Broadway to Prepandemic Heights

Simon Pegg reveals how Mission: Impossible ‘rescued him from depressive alcoholism’

Former James Bond star Halle Berry delivers harsh verdict on female 007

Goofy sci-fi comedy Murderbot might just take your mind off the coming AI apocalypse

Who is Louane? Meet France’s Eurovision 2025 contestant

Kazuo Ishiguro reveals why he prefers unfaithful film adaptations of his books

Halle Berry makes last-minute change to Cannes dress amid Film Festival’s new red carpet rules

Work of two remarkable Scottish artists unveiled in unmissable dual exhibition

Nikesh Patel: 'People want to dial back woke... not on my watch!'

Singer Adonxs tells of journey from ‘couch-surfing in London’ to Eurovision star

Amazon Prime Video confirms ‘worst show ever’ is coming back

David Tennant drops biggest hint yet his Doctor Who story isn’t over

‘Devastating’ disturbing film based on a true story comes to Amazon Prime Video

Nodule found in former President Biden's prostate during routine physical exam

Eurovision lawyers called in after ‘potential hack of rehearsal’

Who is Lucio Corsi? Meet Italy’s Eurovision 2025 contestant singing Volevo Essere Un Duro

This Morning’s new presenter branded ‘creepy’ by viewers

Who is Claude? Meet the Netherlands’ Eurovision 2025 contestant

Who is JJ? Meet Austria’s Eurovision 2025 contestant

Rapper Tory Lanez ‘in good spirits’ after being stabbed 14 times in prison