Willem Dafoe

“Onibaba, a very special film. In fact, I wanted to remake it but I even got the rights for a while but I couldn't find a way to do it because it's so specific to its time and I felt like anytime I tried to put a spin on it I ruined the source material so I couldn't do that.”

“Leopard, fantastic. When I think I'm not right for a role because I'm not enough like the character, I always think of Burt Lancaster and The Leopard. I mean, this Hollywood guy... He's going to be an elegant Sicilian gentleman? I don't think so, but you know what, it worked fantastically. So when you don't think you're right for something, you actually may be very right for it or you may be able to find a way to get there, which is cool.”

“Ashes and Diamonds. I remember seeing that as a kid and I thought, 'Oh, cool, black and white, love the hair, dudes, love the glasses,' but didn't quite get it. I should probably look at that again because I saw it when I was too young.”

“Pickpocket, of course. Bresson... You know, Schrader's always got this on his mind, and I guess I do too.”

“Gate of Flesh. This I watched exhaustively because we used it for material when I worked with a theater company called the Wooster Group and this was an inspiration and very important for one of our theater pieces. So Gate of Flesh, I'll steal that.”

“Devil's Backbone. Oh, it may be one of his best movies. Guillermo del Toro expertly combines Gothic Ghost Story, murder mystery, and historical melodrama in a stylish mélange. Couldn't have said it better myself.”

“The Mirror. Lars von Trier asked me to look at this before we did Antichrist. Surprise, surprise.”

“Piano Teacher. We love Isabelle, we love her so much. She's such a good actress and she always is surprising us and she's a peach.”

“8 1/2, you can't kick about 8 1/2.”

“Oh, ladies and gentlemen, you know this man. He's a little bit more than a man, or is he?”

“Life Aquatic. Oh, I think I have a copy but I love this movie. It's the first time I worked with Wes Anderson. I like Life Aquatic because it floats for a long time and there's lots going on where you think 'what the hell,' but at the end it lands emotionally in a way that is incredible.”

“Rossellini, Bergman, fantastic. Stromboli I know, Journey to Italy I know, I don't know Europe '51. What is Europe '51? Well, I'm going to find out.”