SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Each week, a guest draws a card from NPR's Wild Card deck and answers a big question about their life. Willem Dafoe's desire to challenge himself has made the 71-year-old quite productive. He is in five films being released in the second half of this year. That includes his most recent film, "Late Fame."
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
WILLEM DAFOE: Every time you do a movie, your function in that movie is different, not only the role, but where you fit as a puzzle piece in what we're all trying to do. Everybody thinks acting is one thing. Acting is not one thing. Acting is doing, and doing requires knowing what has to be done, what your obligation is.
DETROW: Dafoe spoke with Wild Card host Rachel Martin.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
RACHEL MARTIN: Are you good at asking for help?
DAFOE: I'm learning.
MARTIN: That's a no.
DAFOE: Yeah.
MARTIN: (Laughter).
DAFOE: No, it's no secret. I think it's a product of, you know - there's a whole thing of masculinity about being self-sufficient. And the truth is, I'm not. And so, asking for help, you're encouraged to - or at least I was, the way I grew up, to, you know, take care of yourself.
MARTIN: Yeah.
DAFOE: You know, don't lean on other people. Don't, you know, be a problem. Don't - and there's a good side to it, because it encourages you not to be a pain in the ass.
MARTIN: Right. Can you give me an example of something you have not wanted to ask for help for in the past and now you're coming around?
DAFOE: I'm learning more because there's some things like technologically - for example, my wife is much more technological than I, so I always have to ask for her help.
MARTIN: I think that's a good start (laughter).
DAFOE: That's a good start. That does sound kind of paltry, like nothing. But I tried to personalize it (laughter).
MARTIN: You did.
DAFOE: Really.
MARTIN: You're trying very hard, and I really appreciate it (laughter).
DAFOE: It didn't really fly, did it?
MARTIN: But you have a farm. Like, did you know how to be a farmer? You, like, have, like, real animals.
DAFOE: No, that really - that is a good example because I have to learn a lot, and I have to - I'm very humbled by how much I have to learn. So I have to trust other people to tell me things, and then I have to try it out for myself. But, yeah, I can ask for help.
MARTIN: What's your favorite farm chore out of curiosity?
DAFOE: Mostly, I like putting the animals to bed at night.
MARTIN: I'd - never occurred to me that you put animals to bed.
DAFOE: You know, because generally, you put them out in the fields and things. And then at night, of course, you close them in because there are a lot of predators. And also, they sleep and they eat at night, what they haven't eaten in the pasture. So there's something beautiful about them seeing me and having 35 goats and sheep stampeding toward me to open the door to their little place to sleep (laughter).
MARTIN: Sounds nice.
DAFOE: It is.
MARTIN: They need your help. They need you to be the helper in that moment.
DAFOE: No, they're helping me. That's the idea.
DETROW: You can watch Rachel Martin's full conversation with Willem Dafoe on YouTube by searching for NPR Wild Card. His new film, "Late Fame," is out now.
(SOUNDBITE OF AYANNA SONG, "GIRLFRIEND") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
