Willem Dafoe - Audio Biography

Biography Flash: Willem Dafoe Takes Venice Biennale While Landing Scrooge Role and Whisky Deal


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Willem Dafoe Biography Flash a weekly Biography.

Willem Dafoe has made several significant moves in the past few days that underline both his enduring influence in film and his renewed commitment to live theatre and bold collaborations. The standout headline is Dafoe’s debut as the artistic director of the Venice Biennale’s theatre department, where he recently unveiled his first official lineup for the 2025 festival. This festival, running May 31 to June 15 in Venice, will feature works that Dafoe describes as “charted by my personal development”—notable among them a new take on Pinocchio and an opening performance of Symphony of Rats. Dafoe’s programming prioritizes the essence of human presence and ritual in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, drawing on his lifetime of experimental theatre experience, including his decades with the legendary Wooster Group. The Theatre Times reports Dafoe’s statement, "Theatre is body. Body is poetry," capturing his vision for this Biennale, which also includes international collaborators, workshops, and events spearheaded by Dafoe's own aesthetic sensibility.

Film also remains front-and-center for Dafoe. Variety highlighted his leading role in The Birthday Party, which premiered at Locarno, with Dafoe taking on the challenge of playing a self-made billionaire inspired by Aristotle Onassis. This nuanced portrayal is currently earning critical acclaim and screens at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where Dafoe is receiving the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo for his lifetime contributions to the craft, as reported by Cineuropa. Meanwhile, Dafoe’s performance in Kent Jones’s Late Fame was singled out by Geek Vibes Nation following its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival, describing Dafoe’s turn as "the standout" in a quietly emotional drama about notoriety and self-recognition.

Looking ahead, Dafoe’s collaboration with director Robert Eggers continues to evolve, with Parade confirming Dafoe will play Ebenezer Scrooge in an upcoming reimagining of A Christmas Carol and also star in Eggers’s next project, Werwulf, slated for production later this year.

On the business front, luxury whisky brand Laphroaig has featured Dafoe in a new global campaign titled The Taste—Tempus Magazine says the short film explores his quest to describe the spirit’s unique flavor and teases the launch of a limited edition whisky designed by Dafoe, scheduled for release in 2026.

Dafoe’s public appearances have been equally noteworthy, with Film Independent hosting An Evening With Willem Dafoe, where he participated in a career-spanning conversation and a screening of Light Sleeper. On the social media side, mentions have centered around the Venice Biennale announcements, new festival honors, and a lively critical buzz following the premiere of Late Fame.

These varied developments—the Venice Biennale leadership, critical festival wins, inventive new film projects, and branded whisky collaboration—could be seen as adding new layers to the fascinating biography of Willem Dafoe, whose career refuses stagnation as he continues to pursue "the intelligence of the body" in both performance and spirit.

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Willem Dafoe - Audio BiographyBy Inception Point Ai