Willem Dafoe Was Jealous of Mark Ruffalo For Dancing With Emma Stone in ‘Poor Things’
In the eccentric new film, Poor Things, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, A-list talents Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo join Emma Stone to explore a twisted Victorian tale. While their boundary-pushing performances are earning acclaim, Dafoe recently confessed envy over Ruffalo’s show-stopping dance number with Stone.
In the film, Dafoe plays scientist Godwin Baxter conducting strange experiments, while Ruffalo portrays smooth-talking lawyer Duncan Wedderburn. Their disparate paths fatefully intertwine after Wedderburn whisks away Baxter’s peculiar creation Bella (Stone) on an adventure and coming-of-age romance.
How Did Mark Ruffalo Unlock His Character Through Dance?
An important scene finds Wedderburn and Bella (Emma Stone) exploding in a dance together. The moment stands out for showcasing their complicated relationship’s push and pull while showcasing the unexpected sides of the actors. For Ruffalo, that dance scene profoundly impacted capturing his complicated character’s essence.
“It has so much in it, and it was something that we worked on and we collaborated on, Emma and I,” Ruffalo explained.
Though loosely choreographed, both performers leaned into improvisation to keep discovering their characters.
“That dance is their whole relationship in a way. It was so much fun and it was so free,” Ruffalo said.
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Indeed, in just minutes, the dance manages to chronicle Duncan and Bella’s up-and-down courtship, inflated hopes, and painful truths. Ruffalo credits his co-star Stone for helping breathe out-of-the-box life into Duncan’s suppressed facets.
However, while Mark Ruffalo unlocked new depth through his dance showcase, co-star Willem Dafoe admitted feeling a tinge of envy about missing out.
“I’m so jealous,” Dafoe replied when hearing about the scene.
Ever the supportive colleague, though, Ruffalo reassured there’s no rivalry between the esteemed actors.
“If you’re jealous, I’m happy because I’ve been jealous of you the whole time,” Ruffalo responded.
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How Did Willem Dafoe Craft Poor Things‘ Bizarre Universe?
Indeed, Willem Dafoe has built one of Hollywood’s most respected and risk-taking careers. In Poor Things, he embraces playing Godwin Baxter – an eccentric 19th-century scientist conducting strange experiments in his lab. To craft such a unique character inside Lanthimos’s heightened world, Dafoe praised the Greek filmmaker for fully realizing a complete and specific universe guiding the performers.
Thanks to the director’s bold vision, Dafoe explained “You get a lot of help and a lot of fun things to do as an actor.”
Clearly, Willem Dafoe needn’t envy any co-star with Poor Things providing ample room for him to sink his teeth into yet another bold, complex role that continues redefining leading man potential well into his seventh decade.
