Willem Dafoe Talks Psychological Thriller 'Inside' and Acting by Himself
Moviefone speaks with Willem Dafoe about his work on 'Inside.' "I don't have a normal approach, but clearly, each time out it's different," he said.
Opening in theaters on March 17th is the new psychological thriller ‘Inside,’ from director Vasilis Katsoupis.
What is the plot of ‘Inside?’
'Inside' tells the story of Nemo (Willem Dafoe), an art thief trapped in a New York penthouse after his heist does not go as planned. Locked inside with nothing but priceless works of art, he must use all his cunning and innovativeness to survive.
Who is in the cast of ‘Inside?’
‘Inside’ primarily features only one actor on one set, and stars Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (‘At Eternity’s Gate,’ ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’), with brief appearances by Gene Bervoets (‘Gangsta’) and Eliza Stuyck.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Willem Dafoe about his work on ‘Inside,’ his process, acting by himself, and working with director Vasilis Katsoupis.
Willem Dafoe stars in director Vasilis Katsoupis' 'Inside.'
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Dafoe and director Vasilis Katsoupis.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about the challenges of acting alone on one set with very little dialogue? Did it change your normal approach to playing a character at all?
Willem Dafoe: I don't have a normal approach. Each time out it's different. All those things that you mentioned are opportunities. They aren't problems, they're pleasures because of their specificness, and they force you to work in a different way than you've worked before. I can't exactly in a short amount of time outline what those are, but clearly, the approach is slightly different.
Willem Dafoe stars as Nemo in director Vasilis Katsoupis' 'Inside,' a Focus Features release. Credit: Wolfgang Ennenbach / Focus Features.
MF: Very little is revealed about your character’s past in the film. Did you have to create a backstory for yourself, or was that not important for you to be able to play the character?
WD: When I went into my first meeting with these guys, the filmmakers, the first thing that came out of my mouth was “I'm really not concerned with the backstory. I don't need to know who this guy is.” I liked the premise. I think his life begins when this movie begins, and he's changed by this situation and his journey starts there. So to create a backstory I think would tempt you to indicate things or point to things outside of what's going on. The watchword on this movie was, we deal with what's in the room. That was not easy to do, but it was convenient because we're shooting in sequence. It's one room, it's one actor. I have a really intense collaboration with all the departments. We're working as a team. There aren't conventional scenes. There's a kind of fluidity to what we're doing. That was fantastic and that's something that I really enjoyed.
Willem Dafoe stars as Nemo in director Vasilis Katsoupis' 'Inside,' a Focus Features release. Credit: Wolfgang Ennenbach / Focus Features.
MF: Finally, your director, Vasilis Katsoupis, has referred to your performance in this movie as “a living art installation.” What is your reaction to that statement and what was it like collaborating with him on this project?
WD: Yeah, that's fair. I mean, there are performances where people live in spaces where you can watch them for a period of time, so this is a relative of that to some degree. It's not that, but it's like that. He was great to work with. He's a dear guy. He's got a great culture. It's his idea. He just knew how to set me up. He gave me great opportunities to do things, and kept a crew working together for a common goal. It's a beautiful thing when you create a group, particularly when they come from four different countries and they're meeting on neutral ground, shooting in a studio in Germany. He was really good, and it's his film. If you like the film, you like Vasilis.
(L to R) Actor Willem DaFoe and director Vasilis Katsoupis on the set of 'Inside,' a Focus Features release. Credit: Wolfgang Ennenbach / Focus Features.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Inside:’
- ‘Thief' (1981)
- 'Heat' (1995)
- 'The Boondock Saints' (1999)
- 'Cast Away' (2000)
- 'Drive' (2011)
- 'Heist' (2015)
Buy Tickets: 'Inside' Movie Showtimes
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'Inside' is produced by A Private View, Bord Cadre Films, Heretic, Schiwago Film, Sovereign Films, Greek Film Centre, Screen Flanders, and Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, and is scheduled for release on March 17th.
