EDITORIALS

Does Willem Dafoe Have a Creepy Fascination With Vampires?!

by Alex Billington
May 27, 2008
Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com

Just as I was settling down for a relaxing evening, I stumbled across some startling news. It turns out Willem Dafoe is actually a vampire! No, not really, but he does seem to have a rather creepy fascination with vampires. And I did happen to stumble across some real news courtesy of STYD that Dafoe has been cast in Cirque du Freak. What does this have to do with vampires? Well truth be told, Cirque du Freak is actually about vampires, in a freaky sort of way. Beyond this quaint little vampire tale, Dafoe is also a part of the upcoming vampire flick Daybreakers and also starred in Shadow of the Vampire. And if three little films aren't enough, how about four?

Actually, there isn't a fourth film. Unless you want to count American Psycho, in which Christian Bale essentially was a vampire, at least in a sick psychotic sense. But three films is enough to convince me that this is a bit more than just a case of liking the script and taking the job. Especially two vampire gigs within the last year! Daybreakers is a fun little flick about a future where the whole human race has been turned into vampires and they must find a way to "farm" humans for blood or perish themselves. And Cirque du Freak is about a youngster who becomes a vampire's assistant in an illegal freak show and soon discovers there is a war between the vampires and a rival clan.

The best part - and even STYD points this out - is that Dafoe is actually playing a vampire in Cirque du Freak. And that marks his third time playing one, with Daybreakers and Shadow of the Vampire as well. And honestly, I love it! Dafoe is always such a badass vampire, don't you think? This might be the most odd connection, but his performances in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Boondock Saints are what come to mind the most when I think about him. And those two performances are what make me excited to see Dafoe back on the screen again as a vamp in Daybreakers and Cirque du Freak. Do you follow? No, you don't, but that doesn't matter, because Dafoe usually kicks ass in every role.

Whether or not it's the truth that Dafoe has a secret creepy fascination with vampires is irrelevant, because the reality is that he will be playing one in at least two upcoming films. Here's to hoping that he also gets cast in Dracula Year Zero, Zen in the Art of Slaying Vampires, and Timur Bekmambetov's The Knights Templar as well! Hell, maybe he can even get a cameo in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight! As long as he is the one who gets to suck Edward Cullen's blood. I've now added "ask Willem about vampires" to my long list of items to question Dafoe about in my next interview with him. Because I'll be damned if he doesn't make one of the best frickin' vampires ever seen on the silver screen. Keep up the bloody good work Dafoe!

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