It is described in the opening credits and posters as "A Rock & Roll Fable"[2] and is a mix of various movie genres with elements of retro-1950s woven into then-current 1980s themes. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. I remember, after the first screenings, people told me that I was going to be rich for life. The point is that we had in mind one sentence inspired by George Lucas: "in a galaxy long ago", a futuristic past. [70] The Chicago Reader critic Jonathan Rosenbaum opined felt the film's "only redeeming quality" was Dafoe's "enjoyably over-the-top, eye-rolling performance". The same year, Dafoe played Vincent van Gogh in the biographical drama At Eternity's Gate, for which he received the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination among other awards and accolades. The two movies that came out in the years after that are completely saturated in the iconography of Streets of Fire are RoboCop and Se7en. We felt that we had compensated adequately in making a fun, exciting, stylized world. [39] In the same year, Dafoe co-starred in David Lynch's crime film Wild at Heart with Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. [23] After 10 days, it made $4.5 million, while fellow opener Star Trek III: The Search for Spock grossed $34.8 million in the same time. That idea of a totally artificial universe. Meanwhile, Ellen is on a train with Tom and McCoy, believing that Tom is leaving with her, but Tom knocks out Ellen and returns to town to confront Raven. The film stars Michael Par, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis, Amy Madigan, Willem Dafoe, E.G. [5] At the time he was cast in March 1983, Par had appeared in two films, Eddie and the Cruisers and Undercover, which had not yet been released. Streets of Fire was released in the United States on June 1, 1984, by Universal Pictures. You've got to be careful because you've got to work with what you have, not just for vanity's sake, but I think the best part of being an actor sometimes is the opportunity to transform yourself superficially, and deeply. Birds who had nested in the tarp provided their own noisy interruptions.[5]. [4] Diane Lane read for the part when she was 18. I did it in two days. [12] He then apprenticed under Richard Schechner, the director of the avant-garde theater troupe The Performance Group, where he met and became romantically involved with director Elizabeth LeCompte. In the film, Dafoe played a perverse businessman who hires Charlotte Gainsbourg's character to work as a debt collector using sex and sadomasochism. [11][12] Negotiations with Springsteen for rights to the song delayed production several times. [165][166] In 2017, Dafoe also played and voiced the character of Ryuk, a demonic death god from Japanese mythology, in Netflix's Death Note, and adaptation of the Japanese supernatural-thriller manga of the same name. [11] Jim Steinman was brought in to write the opening and closing songs, and "Streets of Fire" was replaced by "Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young". Dafoe plays John LeTour, the film's hero who is a 40-year-old high-class drug dealer (and a reformed addict) who searches aimlessly for purpose. Dafoe was critically lauded for his performances in a number of controversial films released in the late 1980s. Willem Dafoe is a 67 years old American actor from Appleton, Wisconsin. That said, he's still a pretty impressive physical specimen, and he often takes on roles where he needs to portray an intimidating. [85], The following year, Dafoe took on another villainous role in The Clearing, albeit with a more sympathetic approach. However, when they realised they would not get it in time, they asked Steinman for a song, which he wrote in two days. [19] Dafoe did not receive a credit for his work on the film. [21] Dafoe starred alongside Judge Reinhold in Roadhouse 66 (1985) as a pair of yuppies who become stranded in a town on U.S. Route 66. "[174] Dafoe portrayed sled dog breeder, trainer, and musher Leonhard Seppala in Togo. I can't put everything together about what didn't work, but the most damaging thing is that we didn't have the right actor for Tom Cody. Willem Dafoe | Biography, Movies, & Facts | Britannica He had his first leading role in the outlaw biker film The Loveless (1982) and then played the main antagonist in Streets of Fire (1984) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). [107] Dafoe starred with Ryan Reynolds, Julia Roberts, and Emily Watson in the drama Fireflies in the Garden, which premiered at Berlinale in 2008 but was not released theatrically until 2011. Film critic Peter Bradshaw noted the physical similarities between Dafoe and Pasolini, although felt Dafoe had too little screen time in the film. [118][119] Dafoe played a former vampire who has a cure that can save the human species in the science fiction horror film Daybreakers, which starred Ethan Hawke as a vampire hematologist. [42] Dafoe had two lead roles in 1992. The film was excoriated by a Variety reviewer as a "wannabe haunted house tale laced with silly sex scenes" and an "embarrassment". And just so you know, this is the early 80s and you had stylized filmslike New York Citythat were all done on set and that idea was in the air. The film was a box office bomb, grossing $8 million against a production budget of $14.5 million. Remember: You had John Hughes at the time, and then you had Coppola making two high school movies: The Outsiders and Rumble Fish. Through the 80's his prominence rose in films like Streets of Fire and To Live and Die in L.A. Perhaps one of Dafoe's, nay cinema's, most iconic moments (and the subject of countless . [55] In 1997, Dafoe returned to playing a villainous role in the action thriller Speed 2: Cruise Control, expressing the necessity of appearing in both independent and blockbuster films. [48] Dafoe then co-starred in the spy thriller Clear and Present Danger (1994), an adaptation of the Tom Clancy novel of the name starring Harrison Ford as CIA operative Jack Ryan. He was born on July 22, 1955 in Appleton, Wisconsin as William James Dafoe. In 1977 he moved to New York City and joined the Performance Group. Suits me. It went $14 million over budget, I think and I kept saying to Joel, how are they allowing this? It's really bad. The first thing he says to me is "Do you just act cool, or are you really cool?" The concept for Streets of Fire came together during the making of 48 Hrs., and reunited director Walter Hill with producers Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver, and screenwriter Larry Gross, all of whom worked together on that production. Willem Dafoe: The Essential Films & Performances [169][170] He later played Nuidis Vulko in a leading role in James Wan's 2018 film Aquaman. What happened was that after we screened that cut for Paramount, Larry looked at Walter and said, "Paramount is pregnant; let's get something and set it up right away." Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg played a couple whose relationship becomes increasingly sexually violent and sadomasochistic after retreating to a cabin in the woods following the death of their child. [79] Steven Scaife at Vice wrote that Dafoe's Goblin "represents everything thats fun about superhero villains, as well as everything thats great about Raimi's campy films", also commending Dafoe's voice and body language, which helped overcome the bulky Green Goblin costume that he compared to that of a Power Rangers villain. Argyle prints and plaids are used in the Parkside District, and neon lights color the Strip.[3]. [63], In 1999, Dafoe gave a supporting performance in David Cronenberg's Existenz, a science fiction thriller in which he played a gas station owner named Gas. He played a tormented T.S. comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A . [3] The Richmond's look was very soft and the colors did not call attention to themselves. "Joel got off the phone with Universal and said, 'We're dead.' "He did not love creating scripts from scratch; he loved rewriting." It was a movie that was built to succeed. The Spider-Man: No Way Home star recently spoke about his willingness to return once again as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin . [78] IGN's Richard George commented that Green Goblin's armor, particularly the helmet, was "almost comically bad Not only is it not frightening, it prohibits expression". [5], Production designer John Vallone and his team constructed an elevated train line on the backlot of Universal Studios that perfectly matched the ones in Chicago. It's not Chicago. And Tom Cody will be the football hero. Later, at a concert, the Sorels open for Ellen and her band. "That broke my heartI hoped, by the time the movie finished, that it would be whipped into a shape and design that would have a real impact. Raven Shaddock | Villains Wiki | Fandom In Richmond, a city district in a time period that resembles the 1950s (labelled "another time, another place"), Ellen Aim, lead singer of Ellen Aim and the Attackers, has returned home for a concert. It sounds like the way really mean guys would have talked in the late 1950s, only with a few words different--as if this world evolved a slightly different language."[28]. Nowhe neglected to mention that some fairy tales are very violent. While there are thus two versions of the song, only Hartman's version was released commercially. For Hill, the subways and their look was crucial to the world of the film and represented one of three modes of transportationthe other two being cars and motorcycles. We got the songs a lot of times just a few days before we shoot. William James Dafoe (/dfo/;[1] July 22, 1955) is an American actor. As Tom storms out, Ellen follows and the two embrace in the rain. [4], Streets of Fire has a number of similarities to Capcom's hit 1989 beat 'em up video game Final Fight. [164] Dafoe earned his third Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination, as well as nominations at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and BAFTA Awards. Osborn is a family friend of Spider-Man's secret identity Peter Parker as Osborn's son, Harry Osborn (played by James Franco), is a close friend of Parker. He is the recipient of various . And I remember, in the park, Joel saying, 'Today Is What It Means to be Dead'. The Ardmore Police roadblock was filmed near 6th street in East Los Angeles, near the flood basin. Their son, Jack, was born in 1982. [40] In 1991, Dafoe starred with Danny Glover and Brad Johnson in the action film Flight of the Intruder. Actually Willem Dafoe. [148] Dafoe next starred alongside Matt Dillon as a detective in the crime thriller Bad Country, which critic Justin Chang dismissed as being "blandly constructed". [110] Dafoe co-starred as SS Nazi officer in Paul Schrader's Adam Resurrected (2008), which starred Jeff Goldblum as a concentration camp internee. [6][7] He has five sisters and two brothers and is of English, French, German, Irish, and Scottish descent. He was surprised with her "total commitment to selling herself as a rock 'n' roll star". [76][77] Conversely, critic A. O. Scott wrote that his performance was "uninspired and secondhand". In 2017 he notably appeared in Murder on the Orient Express and The Florida Project, about a single mother and her young daughter. Biography. Two songs written by Jim Steinman were part of the soundtrack: "Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" and "Nowhere Fast", both performed by Fire Inc., with Holly Sherwood providing lead vocals on the former and Laurie Sargent on the latter. He had his first leading role in the outlaw biker film The Loveless (1982) and then played supporting roles in Streets of Fire (1984) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), before his breakthrough roles in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Mississippi Burning (1988). We had a very conscious design concept of the movie, but I think we didn't fully grasp how strong it would be, in terms of the combination of elements. [4], Hill heard about Michael Par from the same agent who recommended Eddie Murphy to him for 48 Hrs (his then-girlfriend and later wife Hildy). [3] However, this presented unusual problems. They kind of saw it worked in the world of an MTV video."[8]. The cameo was suggested by Dafoe, comparing it to the ghost of Hamlet's father visiting his son to ask him to avenge his death. [40] He wore fake, corroded teeth and grew a pencil moustache that bore resemblance to his previous collaborator, John Waters. [5] An additional district, Ardmore, also appears in the film, but it may be a separate municipality as it is not prefaced with "the". He was used to working with actors who had experience like Nick Nolte or David Carradine. [38], Dafoe made a cameo appearance in John Waters' musical comedy Cry-Baby (1990) as a prison guard who gives a brief lecture on values to the title character, who is played by Johnny Depp. With Tenor, maker of GIF Keyboard, add popular Willem Dafoe Streets Of Fire animated GIFs to your conversations. [151] Dafoe once again collaborated with Ferrara on the drama Pasolini, in which he played Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini during his last days before his murder in 1975. [5] The version of "Sorcerer", composed by Stevie Nicks, that was featured on the soundtrack album was performed by Marilyn Martin. . [5] For Ellen's singing voice, he combined the voices of Laurie Sargent and Holly Sherwood, billing them as Fire Inc. [4], Streets of Fire fared poorly at the box office, opening in 1,150 theaters on June 1, 1984, and grossing $2.4 million during its first weekend. He told me he's going to do this new thing: he's going to put a female character right in the centre of the narrative."[7]. Although the film was largely dismissed by critics,[62] critic David Stratton found there to be "compensation" in the performances. I had to have a scapegoat. [36][37] Dafoe reunited with Platoon director Oliver Stone for a small appearance in the biographical war drama Born on the Fourth of July (1989). Willem Dafoe in STREETS OF FIRE. [4], Gross says Hill did not want the film to be especially violent there would be no blood and no one would die. [185] Peter Travers of Good Morning America and Jade King at The Gamer praised Dafoe and Molina, with King asserting that the two "stole the show as Green Goblin and Doc Ock" and described the depictions as brilliant. With the assistance of a hard-as-nails woman warrior (Madigan) and manager Billy Fish (Moranis), he enters a shocking world of neon-lit streets, fast cars, and killer assassins lurking around every corner. Par did not always work well with Walter Hill: I think Walter is a writer at heart. In 2021 he was featured in another Anderson film, The French Dispatch, playing a crooked accountant. It was scary. [5], While shooting in Chicago, the production was plagued by inclement weather that included rain, hail, snow, and a combination of all three. [93] It was largely panned by critics, although Dafoe stated he did not regret appearing in the film. And Willem Dafoe is the greaser. [12] Dafoe soon joined the new company and is credited as one of its co-founders. I panicked, and Joel Silver, called Walter and somehow persuaded him to come over and direct me through the ADR. It could still be tough and strong and have a woman do it without rewriting the part. Rick Moranis, Diane Lane, and Willem Dafoe in the opening scene to 1984's Streets of Fire. His director's chair was made out of leather and on the back of it read "Lone Wolf". [23] Film critic Roger Ebert commended his "strong" performance in the film. Maybe if we'd had Tom Cruise, we might have had a success. The English Patient was filmed in Tuscany, where Dafoe said he particularly enjoyed the "quiet moments in the monastery between shoots". The film was panned by critics and performed poorly at the box office, with some audience members laughing during the sex scenes. In 1977 he moved to New York City and joined the Performance Group. Willem Dafoe Streets Of Fire GIFs | Tenor In addition, 12 1950 and 1951 model Studebakers were used as police cars. [112], Dafoe appeared in seven films in 2009, the first of which was in Lars von Trier's experimental film Antichrist. [194], In March 2004, Dafoe met Italian actress Giada Colagrande in Rome at the premiere of one of her films. On a smaller scale, he portrayed stern fathers in Lars von Triers historical allegory Manderlay (2005) and in the family drama Fireflies in the Garden (2008). What happened was that all of the people that made Streets of Fire left Universal Studios and went to 20th Century Fox. My manager had me hire a limousine to pick me up at home and take me to work. [88][89] Dafoe then had a small role as a tabloid magazine editor in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator (2004), a biographical film about Howard Hughes starring Leonardo DiCaprio. "[4], The film went on to make a total of $8 million in North America, compared to a production budget of $14.5 million. So they didn't pull the trigger and Berg ended up selling it to Universal.