Willem Dafoe: "As an actor, I don't think you have to understand everything to get your work done"

When Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone called Willem Dafoe to talk to him about Kinds of Kindness, the actor agreed to participate in the project without even reading the script. The previous experience with both in Pobres criaturas was so good that he didn't think twice, although in that first call they told him about this anthology film in very general terms. 

After finally reading the script, Dafoe realized that it was a very particular proposal and that the stories were quite complex. Also "very beautiful." The actor admits that at first it was quite difficult for him to understand it, "but once you start shooting, a connection is made."

And that connection is Lanthimos, "has the gift of tricking you into seeing things you don't normally see. And that's magic," he points out with admiration. 

'Kinds of Kindness'

Kinds of Kindness is a fable in triptych form that narrates three stories: that of a trapped man trying to take control of his own life; that of a policeman terrified because his wife, who had disappeared at sea, has returned and seems like a different person; and finally, the story of a woman determined to find someone with a special gift, destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader.

Characters reveal themselves through their actions

Three stories with characters played by the same actors: Willem Dafoe, Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Mamoudou Athie, Joe Alwyn, and Hunter Schafer. And to differentiate their characters, Dafoe focused more on the actions than on the characterization. 

"I think the differences come from the task at hand," he affirms. "For me, each character and how they function in each story is very different, and in a way, that marks who they are. They are revealed through their actions and how they work in the story."

By giving more importance to who they are rather than what they seem, because the viewer already knows it's a different story and there is no room for confusion, he didn't need to make distinctions between them. "The idea was not to do different accents, or big changes. Just small things like the haircut."

Costumes, on the other hand, played a very important role. "I don't think I had ever done as many fittings as we did for Omi," he confesses. "The costumes were a way to articulate who we were going to be; where each story begins and where it is situated. It was fun and a very concrete way of working on characters that was not psychological and didn't require debate. It was all very intuitive. You put on a suit and you don't analyze."

Blind trust in Lanthimos

Regarding the themes of the film, Dafoe acknowledges that there are many things that still remain mysterious to him, but that is not something that worries him. "As an actor, I don't think you have to understand everything to do your job. In life, we are always doing things we don't understand and we do them without a problem," he says.

Behind the scenes of 'Kinds of Kindness'

That blind trust in a director is not something easy to achieve or grant. And it doesn't always happen, no matter how talented or acclaimed a filmmaker is. In the case of Lanthimos, Dafoe assures that "he is very smart at bringing people together in a room and getting them to know each other. They feel free to expose themselves to others. And once they do, trust and a sense of humor arise. They feel like they are playing."

With that previous work done, when it comes to shooting the actual scenes, the actors feel safe and relaxed. "You don't feel that anxiety to show off or to do well or not. We all work together to make it happen. It may sound too beautiful, but it is. He has the talent to unite people, leverage their strengths, and protect their weaknesses." 

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence