“After spending so much time pretending to be other people, you need to return to something real”. For Willem Dafoe, one of the ways he disconnects from the intensity of acting is far from sets, red carpets, and the noise of Hollywood: in the tranquility of the countryside.
The actor enjoys spending time surrounded by nature and animals, which are part of his daily routine. There, he can feed them, take care of them, and focus on simple tasks, very different from the long filming days and intense characters that have accompanied him for decades.
Dafoe has spoken about how comforting he finds that slower pace. The animals are not simply companions: they require daily attention and keep him connected to a much simpler, more tangible life.
Perhaps that is why it is so curious to see him this way. One of the most unsettling faces in cinema finds his rest precisely in something as everyday as going out to the countryside and making sure his animals are well 🥹.