Emma Stone; Willem Dafoe.Photo: Getty (2)
Emma Stonegotreallyinto character while working withWillem Dafoe— on his insistence!
The actors andYorgos Lanthimos, who directed Stone and Dafoe in his upcoming movieAnd, opened up about the process in a Dafoe profile forThe New York Timespublished Thursday.
According theTimes, there’s a scene in the film where Stone, 34, slaps Dafoe, 67, in the face off-camera — but Dafoe had his costarslap him in real life around 20 timesto help make the action look more believable.
“There’s this instinct to perform that many actors have — the ‘Look at me, look at me!’ kind of performer,” said theOscarwinner of Dafoe. “He’s the opposite of that.”
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Emma Stone; Willem Dafoe.Getty (2)
Plot details aboutAndare still being kept under wraps, but it was reported back in October 2022 that the film — which has finished shooting in New Orleans, according to theTimes— would also starJesse Plemons,Joe Alwyn,Margaret QualleyandHong Chau.
Lanthimos, Stone and Alwyn, 32, previously collaborated on the 2018 filmThe Favourite, which was nominated for 10 Oscars.Olivia Colmanwon Best Actress for her performance as Queen Anne, while Stone andRachel Weiszboth earned Best Supporting Actress nominations.
“We are so excited to be collaborating with Joe once again after our extraordinary journey together onThe Favourite,” Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum, presidents of Searchlight Pictures, said in a statement toThe Hollywood Reporter. “He is a brilliant actor and a welcome addition to the all-star cast Yorgos has put together here.”
Lanthimos' past films include 2015’sThe Lobsterand 2017’sThe Killing of a Sacred Deer. The Greek writer-director’s next feature film,Poor Things, is expected to release in 2023 and stars Stone, Dafoe and Qualley, 28, plus,Mark Ruffalo,Ramy Youssefand comedianJerrod Carmichael.
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In his opening monologue, Dafoe joked abouthis roles throughout the years, responding to criticism that his acting is “over the top.”
“I can’t help that I have an expressive face,” he explained. “I can’t control it. I don’t think about controlling it. I’m not one of those subtle actors likeNicolas CageorAl Pacino.”
TheNightmare Alleystar added, “Maybe that’s why people come up to me and say, ‘You know what role you’d be perfect for? The Joker.’ It’s always nice to hear thatyou got the vibe of a sociopath.”
source: people.com
