Home / Authors / Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe Quotes

Voice Actor

Willem Dafoe, born on July 22, 1955, is a renowned voice actor from the United States. He has had a significant influence in films, television series, and animations with his distinctive voice and acting skills. Dafoe has voiced numerous famous characters, including the Joker in 'Batman: The Animated Series' and Roger in 'One Piece'. His voice is easily recognizable, and he brings unique personalities to the roles he portrays.

Filter quotes by topic

All People Thinking Ifs Sometimes Actors Film Different Character Want Directors Kind Giving Interesting Feels Passionate Stories Theatre Trying Way Important

Famous Willem Dafoe Quotes

“I'm never in Hollywood! I'm a theatre actor that lives in New York. I'm very seldom in Los Angeles. I don't dislike LA, I just don't think it's a very healthy place for me to be all the time. When I'm shooting a movie there and am working I'm perfectly happy. But when I'm not working or engaged in something it's a place that I wouldn't live.”

Thinking Actors New York Healthy Hollywood Theatre Shooting Engaged Los Angeles Dislike Theatre Actors

Author:Willem Dafoe

“I don't think people are interested in my personal life. I've never had a Hollywood life. I've always been a worker.”

People Thinking Hollywood Workers Personal Life Hollywood Life

Author:Willem Dafoe

“I'm an optimist. I hope if a movie's good that it will be a success, but that's not always true, just because of popular taste or any other reasons. When something doesn't do better than it deserves to in your mind, it's pretty transparent - you usually know why. Is that a comfort? Yes, because it's logical. Does it make you happy? No, because if you think a movie is beautiful or interesting, you want to share it. Sometimes you make very interesting movies that aren't meant for everybody. But this is a capitalist society, so everything conspires to put value on whether it sells or not.”

Thinking Mind Sometimes Reason Beautiful Values Interesting Share Comfort Deserve Logical Capitalist Optimist Very Interesting Make You Happy

Author:Willem Dafoe

“I'm more interested in talking about what I do. And I don't think people are interested in my personal life. I've never had a Hollywood life. I've always been a worker. But it's true: If you know something about a person outside of the movie that is really repulsive to you, it's hard to shake. So I prefer to do my speaking through the work. I don't want people to know anything about me, because that's not important. I'm more interested in the me that takes shape through these characters. The other stuff is personal and too easy to trivialize out of context.”

People Thinking Important Character Easy Personal Life Of Context

Author:Willem Dafoe

“For every role, you have to always find a different way to approach it, one that's specific and suits what the key is. Every role's a mystery. I think if you know what it is, you probably shouldn't even do it.”

Thinking Different Mystery

Author:Willem Dafoe

“I wish to Christ I could make up a really great lie. Sometimes, after an interview, I say to myself, 'Man, you were so honest - can't you have some fun? Can't you do some really down and dirty lying?' But the puritan in me thinks that if I tell a lie, I'll be punished.”

Ifs Thinking Men Sometimes Lying Fun Wish Christ Honest Down And Dirty Interviews Really Great Puritan

Author:Willem Dafoe

“I think on some level, you do your best things when you're a little off-balance, a little scared. You've got to work from mystery, from wonder, from not knowing.”

Thinking Littles Levels Wonder Knowing Mystery Balance Scared Best Things Not Knowing

Author:Willem Dafoe

“Great theatre is about challenging how we think and encouraging us to fantasize about a world we aspire to.”

Thinking World Challenges Theatre Aspire

Author:Willem Dafoe

“I don't think people want to see me as a regular guy. Besides, I'm a regular guy in real life. I guess I just want to be reckless in my work.”

People Thinking Want Real Guy Real Life Reckless

Author:Willem Dafoe

“I love Sam Neill. The thing that I always say about him, and I think it's true, is he's so dry. When he's serious, I think he's joking; when he's joking, I think he's serious.”

Thinking Serious Dry

Author:Willem Dafoe

“I think, as I've gotten older, I've been able to be more reckless with my choices, because practically speaking, you get less careful. Your choices become more instinctive, and you feel like if you make a mistake, it won't destroy you.”

Ifs Thinking Feels Able Choices Mistake Careful Reckless

Author:Willem Dafoe

“I'm not attracted to naturalism, I'm not attracted to behavior, I'm attracted to dance. I'm attracted to gesture, I'm attracted to singing with your voice, as opposed to having a natural manner. I'm a theater actor first, so that probably influences a lot of my approach. And I think in many ways, naturalism has ruined movies.”

Thinking Way Firsts Actors Voice Natural Influence Behavior Approach Singing Theater Gestures Ruined Naturalism

Author:Willem Dafoe

“The Midwest isn't somewhere you mix with those from the performing arts. But my mum and dad would go off to Chicago every so often to see shows. They would bring back the albums and the movies, those little eight metres, and we would all watch. I think that was when I fell in love with acting.”

Thinking Littles Art Shows Acting Watches Dad Albums Eight Performing Chicago Mum Midwest Performing Arts Mum And Dad

Author:Willem Dafoe

“It's true in the beginning I started playing villains, and I think that's pretty clear, because if you don't conventionally look a certain way and you've got a certain kind of presence when you're young, then what's available to you is character roles, and the best character roles when you're young tend to be villains.”

Ifs Thinking Way Looks Kind Character Young Certain Roles Clear Available Villain Best Character

Author:Willem Dafoe

“Sometimes I think women are lucky because they can develop in ways men can't. The old-boy network may be oppressive to women, but it actually stunts men in terms of personal growth.”

Thinking Men Way May Sometimes Growth Term Boys Lucky Personal Growth

Author:Willem Dafoe

About the Author

Born: July 22, 1955
Known for: Voice Actor
Quotes: 104

Related Topics

People Thinking Ifs Sometimes Actors Film Different Character Want Directors Kind Giving Interesting Feels Passionate Stories Theatre Trying Way Important

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Similar Authors

Kristen StewartBrowse related quotes
Clint EastwoodBrowse related quotes
Nicolas CageBrowse related quotes
Edward NortonBrowse related quotes
Viggo MortensenBrowse related quotes
Kevin SpaceyBrowse related quotes
Daniel RadcliffeBrowse related quotes
George ClooneyBrowse related quotes
Angelina JolieBrowse related quotes
Cate BlanchettBrowse related quotes