‘Florida Project’ Star Willem Dafoe on Why Shooting at a Real Motel Made it Authentic (Video)
“You can’t make all movies like this but with this material, it was the only way to make it,” actor tells TheWrap
Beatrice Verhoeven | February 9, 2018 @ 3:04 PM
Last Updated: February 9, 2018 @ 3:23 PM
It might come as a surprise to you, but “The Florida Project” was shot at a real motel in Orlando, Florida, with real people living at the establishment — and star Willem Dafoe thinks that was a big deal because it “informed everything.”
“It’s outside of Disney World and there are people living there,” Dafoe said during TheWrap’s Screening Series at the Landmark Theatre in West Los Angeles on Thursday night. “We’d go knocking on their doors, asking, ‘Can you help us with this at a certain point? There’s going to be this cue and you’re going to open your door…’ People participated! It was really beautiful … It’s not like they were choosing the shots but they really set the tone, and you can’t make stuff up in good faith when they are watching you. They guide you.”
To research for his role of the motel’s manager in the film, Dafoe met a guy who used to managed the place. And initially, it was just to see how he talks and how he represents himself, but it turned into so much more.
“More importantly, and the really surprising thing, was his beautifully simple attitude towards his job, that he knew it wasn’t a great motel but he was going to make it the best motel he could and he really cared for those people and he had a pride even with his modest talent, he could make it better for them,” added Dafoe. “It’s not an empathy that’s worn on his sleeve; it’s practical, he wants to watch the ball game, he wants peace and he understands their sense of well-being affects him and his affects him.”
Because of the responsibility Dafoe has in the role of the motel’s manager, he doesn’t think this part is like anything that’s come before it. While he usually plays “lone wolves,” in his movies, he played someone who is “serving a community and playing a responsible person” in this one. And moreover, he worked with actors that are unknown — which he says was the only way to make this movie.
“I can honestly say that something about it was familiar, I mean, maybe from my work with The Wooster Group, we worked with kids,” he said. “The Wooster Group people weren’t trained, and we were making things with people that weren’t trained as actors… I’m used to this amateur aesthetic almost: you can go deeper with that, and for these actors it was my job to fit in with them. They were really setting the terms and that was the only way to approach this material — to shoot in a real motel. If we had a more high-powered production, if there were more recognizable actors, it would have made them shy and it would have made them anticipate the result and also the people living there wouldn’t have shared their stories and wouldn’t have been present to guide us and guided us in a certain level of authenticity … You can’t make all movies like this but for this material, it was the only way to make it. If we had more money or more trained actors, we couldn’t have made this movie.”
About working with the kids, including lead Brooklynn Prince, in particular, Dafoe called it a “parallel experience” because the kids were hanging out and getting sugar rushes and playing on set while also filming some of these detrimental scenes.
“I love these kids, but they were pain sometimes too,” Dafoe added, laughing. “That was reflecting the story we were telling. There was no acting involved — they were sweet. We all had to look after them because this was a new experience for them, so we had to make sure they felt safe and played and did things they loved to do without getting too hyped up.”
“The Florida Project” was directed by Sean Baker. Dafoe has been nominated for several awards for his role in the film, including an Academy Award in the category Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.
Watch the video above.
13 Golden Globes Snubs and Surprises, From Sam Rockwell to Tommy Wiseau (Photos)
Here's who the HFPA embraced -- and skipped -- during the 75th Golden Globes on Jan. 7.
Surprise: Sam Rockwell, Best Supporting Actor for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
Rockwell winning for his role in Martin McDonagh's drama is a clear upset over other nominees Willem Dafoe, Christopher Plummer and Armie Hammer.
Fox Searchlight
Snub: Willem Dafoe, Best Supporting Actor for "The Florida Project"
Dafoe was a clear frontrunner for his role in "The Florida Project," and Armie Hammer and Christopher Plummer were considered strong contenders too, but Sam Rockwell managed to upset them all.
A24
Surprise: Rachel Brosnahan, Best Actress in a TV Series Musical or Comedy for "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
Pamela Adlon and Issa Rae were snubbed in this category as Brosnahan won for a new show by the creator of "Gilmore Girls" from Amazon Studios.
Amazon
Snub: Tommy Wiseau not being allowed to speak on stage
James Franco called "The Room" filmmaker Tommy Wiseau on stage while accepting his award for Best Actor Musical or Comedy for "The Disaster Artist," a movie about the making of "The Room." When Wiseau gunned for the microphone, Franco pushed him away. The crowd -- and a good portion of the Twitterati -- anxiously waited for Wiseau to speak, but he never did.
Getty Images
Surprise: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" wins Best Screenplay
Sure, the race was tight between Greta Gerwig's "Lady Bird" and McDonagh's "Three Billboards" -- but many thought the award would go to Gerwig due to the fact that it's more heartfelt and has become the best-reviewed film in Rotten Tomatoes history.
Fox Searchlight
Snub: Robert De Niro, Best Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made For Television for "The Wizard of Lies"
Many predicted De Niro to win in this category, or Kyle MacLachlan for "Twin Peaks." But instead, Ewan McGregor won the award for "Fargo."
HBO
Surprise: Aziz Ansari, Best Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy for "Master of None"
Anthony Anderson for "black-ish" is always a strong contender, and voters apparently really liked the revived “Will and Grace,” so Eric McCormack was a frontrunner. TheWrap's Steve Pond predicted Kevin Bacon would win for "I Love Dick," but in the end, Ansari took home the prize.
Snub: "The Shape of Water" for Best Picture -- Drama
“The Shape of Water” has gotten raves for its gloriously imaginative filmmaking, yet it was snubbed for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri."
Surprise: "Lady Bird" wins Best Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy
"Lady Bird," "The Disaster Artist" and "Get Out" were sure frontrunners, but many had thought "Get Out" would win due to its social criticism (although the HFPA received criticism for accepting it as a comedy). "Lady Bird" is also a surprising win given that director Greta Gerwig wasn't even nominated in the Best Director category.
A24
Snub: "Get Out"
Jordan Peele's directorial debut was one of the most-talked about films in 2017, but the HFPA sent the film, starring Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams, home empty-handed.
Universal
Surprise: "This Is Me" for Best Original Song from "The Greatest Showman"
The category had a lot of great nominees, including "Remember Me" from "Coco" and Nick Jonas' "Home" for "Ferdinand."
Fox
Snub: "Call Me by Your Name"
"Call Me by Your Name," starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer, was a strong contender in multiple categories, but one of the most critically-revered films in 2017 went home without one Golden Globe award.
SPC
Snub: "The Post"
Like "Call Me by Your Name," Steven Spielberg's drama starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks took home zero awards.
Fox
1 of 14
“Three Billboards” star beats out Willem Dafoe in “Florida Project,” while Rachel Brosnahan won for new show “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Here's who the HFPA embraced -- and skipped -- during the 75th Golden Globes on Jan. 7.