While he's 'interested' in religious thought, the 'Poor Things' actor believes talking publicly about one's belief will make people fall into 'the trap of making that [their] identity.'
- Jan 8, 2024
AceShowbiz - Willem Dafoe is asking people not to talk publicly about their spiritual beliefs. The 68-year-old "Poor Things" actor made the remarks while opening about how he's into religion and spirituality, but warned he misses the days when people knew "nothing" about celebrities.
"Listen. I'm interested in spiritual impulse, and I'm interested in religious thought, but you can't talk about these things publicly, and you shouldn't talk about them, because then you fall into the trap of making that your identity," he told The Observer newspaper.
Willem has also been doing yoga for 40 years, but added, "I don't like to talk about it, because every time you bring it up, if someone doesn't have the same reference, you're kind of saying, you're missing out, you don't have it, this is a beautiful thing for me, and then you just want to kill yourself! For being an (idiot)!"
When asked if it was better as an actor to have people know nothing about him, dad-of-one Willem said, "I think that's true. I know that when I know someone has really repellent politics, it changes how I watch them."
He said he didn't even like talking about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into his parts, like the make-up he had to spend hours to get into for his role in "Poor Things" alongside Emma Stone.
He said, "The second I hear myself saying, 'Yeah, it took four hours to get in and two hours to get out, and I was there at 3am?' - you don't want people thinking about that when they're watching the movie."
Willem spent hours in make-up to play Dr. Godwin "God" Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos' latest film "Poor Things", which also stars Emma Stone, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, and Jerrod Carmichael.
In a retelling of "Frankenstein", its plot focuses on Emma's character Bella Baxter, a young Victorian woman who, after being crudely resurrected by a scientist following her suicide, runs off with a debauched lawyer to embark on an odyssey of discovery and sexual liberation.
It's been named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the American Film Institute and National Board of Review, and has been nominated for seven Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and gained 13 Critics' Choice Awards, including Best Picture.
