Nosferatu Star Reflects On His Oscar-Nominated Performance As Count Orlok In 2000 Vampire Movie

Nosferatu star Willem Dafoe is reflecting on his own Count Orlok performance from the 2000 movie Shadow of the Vampire. The upcoming remake, directed by Robert Eggers, who collaborated with Dafoe on The Lighthouse and The Northman, depicts a nightmarish encounter with the eponymous vampire. In the film, Dafoe portrays Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, a source of authority regarding Count Orlok. However, the Nosferatu star famously played a version of this mysterious Transylvanian monster in E. Elias Merhige’s Oscar-nominated Shadow of the Vampire, an imaginary tale of Max Schreck (Dafoe) during the original Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, ahead of the Nosferatu premiere, Dafoe looked back on his Count Orlok portrayal. He expressed a fondness for Shadow of the Vampire and explained how makeup can impact a performance by allowing an actor to see themselves in character. Read some of his comments below:

That was a wonderful experience. One of the biggest takeaways was how beautiful it is to have extreme makeup. I had very heavy makeup; I was unrecognizable. You see yourself recede and the character come forward. You don’t look like yourself. You don’t feel like yourself. You can’t move like yourself. It becomes a beautiful trigger for your imagination and an invitation to explore other behavior.

Dafoe also reflected on the positive reception towards Shadow of the Vampire and noted that his Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor was “a special pride,” considering the film was made without a major company.

It was a very tiny film. It’s a special pride when you get nominated for a tiny film because, obviously, it’s not like you had the muscle or the enormous publicity budget to convince people [to vote].

He then complimented the acting and technical achievements of Nosferatu, which includes another impressive Orlok transformation, this time by Pennywise actor Bill Skarsgård, and pondered how much recognition it will get. Read more of Dafoe’s comments below:

It’s an incredibly powerful film. There’s some great performances and beautiful displays of various craft aspects. So, it’ll be interesting to see if that commonly held thought that horror is ignored in award season [holds up].

How Count Orlok In Shadow Of The Vampire Compares To Nosferatu

The Transformations Are Equally Impressive

Dafoe’s appearance as Count Orlok closely resembles the version from Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. Through a completely fabricated behind-the-scenes story, Shadow of the Vampire presented a pale, almost bald Schreck, the German actor who originated Orlok on-screen. Dafoe’s physical transformation, which included darkened eyes, pointy ears, and long fingers/fingernails, is impressive, in part, because of how faithful it was, complete with spot-on mannerisms.

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There have been very brief sightings of Bill Skarsgård as Orlok in the upcoming Nosferatu remake, but ahead of its Christmas-day release, audiences and fellow cast members are praising his transformation. His ability to fully embody a character should come as no surprise though, given his previous role as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in It and the 2019 sequel. From what has been revealed, it seems that Skarsgård donned a significant amount of prosthetic makeup, aging him up and giving him Orlok’s distinct vampire features.

Shadow of the Vampire earned Dafoe his second Oscar nomination, after 1987’s Platoon. He has since earned two more nominations, for The Florida Project and At Eternity’s Gate.

Our Take On Dafoe’s Count Orlok Performance

It’s A Memorable Role That Has Earned Its Long-Lasting Praise

Shadow of the Vampire further represents how famous Count Orlok became following the original Nosferatu. Not only was Dafoe recognized by the Academy Awards, and deservedly so, but the film earned a Best Makeup nomination that year. Joining Eggers’ remake, where he might have experienced another level of prosthetic enhancement, can almost be seen as a full circle moment then. While Skarsgård’s portrayal of Orlok may be scarier, both performances are part of an overall legacy, and Dafoe’s role remains worthy of praise.

Source: Entertainment Weekly