Robert Eggers: “Willem Dafoe shot a scene with two thousand rats for Nosferatu”
The first photo of the actor as a “crazy vampire hunter” has been released.
William Dafoe had recently admitted to regretting having spoken too much on certain subjects, in particular on his character in Beetlejuice2the upcoming film directed by Tim Burton. Since then, the actor has been walking on eggshells when interviewed about his upcoming appearances on the big screen. Following an exclusive publication of a filming photo, Robert Eggers removed a nice thorn from his actor’s side by verbalizing these few words to Entertainment Weekly :
“This sequence, in addition to having real flames, had 2,000 real rats. It was a challenge, but it was fun to shoot“, said Robert Eggers.
This is the third collaboration between the filmmaker and the actor, after The Lighthouse (2019) and The Northman (2022). The ex-Green Goblin confided that he played “a kind” by Professor Van Helsing, “but not exactly”. Even if the subject is obscure, the actor will indeed play a vampire hunter, Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz. Robert Eggers clarified that he wanted a “crazy vampire hunter” – a character he always “liked to associate with the vampire quest“.
Nosferatu will pay homage to the expressionist classic of the same name directed by Murnau in 1922, initially inspired by an eternally mysterious episode concerning the journey of Count Dracula’s Demeter in the work of Bram Stoker. Like the 1922 film, the story will involve a young woman.haunted and tormented by a terrifying vampire” performed by Lily-Rose Depp. And it’s Nicholas Hoult who exchanges his uniform of eternal servant in Renfield (2023) to play the husband (Thomas) of this lost soul.
“He (Thomas) is the damsel in distress in this story. What will differ from previous films is that I am focusing more on the character of Lily-Rose“.
Bill Skarsgard transformed for Nosferatu: the actor amazed Robert Eggers
It will not be Dracula but Count Orlok, played by Bill Skarsgård (That, John Wick, chapter 4), known for his siblings, but also for his ease in taking on a role physically, however monstrous it may be.
“Apart from his eyes, it is difficult to recognize Bill. I try not to say too much, but Bill is transforming into something truly unique. I’m super excited to see how audiences will react to Bill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok.”, confided the filmmaker.
Despite these tempting teasers, the public’s thirst will have to wait. Nosferatu will not be released until December 2024.
Robert Eggers talks about the complicated filming of Nosferatu
