Robert Eggers and his actors talk about the resurrection of ‘Nosferatu’

[This story contains spoilers from Nosferatu.]

“It’s such a relief to get this movie done,” said Bill Skarsgård. Yep – the face of the entire horror series and his twisted depictions it Pennywise the Clown – Ready to Release Robert Eggers Nosferatu. “Everything he stood for was so strong and I’m so happy to be able to break away from the hold he had on me.”

Skarsgård first read the script for Eggers’ horror folk tale a decade ago. The filmmakers just released witch (2015) Skarsgård believed he was sitting with a man who represented the future of cinema. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is so exciting,'” the Swedish actor recalled hollywood reporter About Eggers’ interest in his role as a century-old villain. “I was blown away by the script. … It was flattering, but also very daunting.

Although based on FW Murnau’s 1922 German Expressionist silent film classic starring Max Schreck as the eponymous monster, Skarsgård’s Count Orlok is even more haunting than its original form . (Admittedly, Murnau’s film is an unauthorized version of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula; Eggers suddenly pays homage to Schreck’s beast and completely twists him. Respect the folklore written by those who truly believed in the existence of these creatures and feared them. At the same time, he drives a stake into the heart of the “hot vampire” trope to which contemporary audiences have become accustomed.

“The evolution of the cinematic vampire, from Max Schreck to Edward Cullen [Robert Pattinson’s character in the Twilight series] …Vampires are no longer scary,” Eggers said. THR. “These early folk vampires were not debonair, pale-skinned aristocrats in evening gowns. They were bloated, filthy, rotting corpses. And thus, his monster was born.

Nosferatu is conjured from the mysterious niche of the Eggers universe that audiences are now familiar with: lighthouse (2019) and northerners (2022) oozes gothic gloom and nauseating eroticism. Skarsgård stars in the eponymous role, but Lily-Rose Depp’s Aaron Hart subverts Stoker’s role The narrative is on its head.

In the early 19th century, Alan is newly married to Thomas (Nicholas Holt), a junior real estate agent in the fictional German town of Weisburg. In order to seek an official position in the company, he accepted the assignment of his jovial boss Mr. Knock (Simon McBurney) and headed to eastern Bohemia to the cruel and creepy Khar in Transylvania. A remote castle in the Pathian Mountains.

His mission is to get the mysterious Count Orlok to sign a contract for the purchase of a mansion in Weissburg. Thomas leaves his desperate wife with the couple’s friends Friedrich and Anna Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corrin), who are forced to witness Ellen’s innermost The return of the nightmarish plot. Only the audience, Allen and Orlok understand the sensual connection between the vampire and what he considers to be his rightful bride—a bond that Depp’s character had beckoned to years earlier, forming a bond of repulsion and desire.

“It was physically and emotionally demanding,” Depp said of the stunning physical performance she performed, her body contorting and twitching, her eyes rolling back and tears flooding her cheeks. Marie-Gabrielle Rotie, Japanese choreographer butoh (“Dance of Total Darkness”), was called in to help. “The ordeal she goes through is at the heart of the film,” Depp continued. “The darkness she has endured since childhood has now reached its peak. She found a husband who could anchor her to the world and the light, and then he left her, leaving her vulnerable to those who wanted to take away her power. .

“But it’s not as simple as her [being] Haunted by this terrible thing,” Depp continued, “there’s a longing there. The connection between Orlok and Allen. She’s the one who’s crying out to him, and as he says in the film, she has to surrender.

Depp said sex is a subject people often ask about. She added that this was intentional with Eggers as it was the heart of the love triangle story. “This evil, dark fairy tale could be about a young woman torn between two men, both of whom represent different parts of what she wants. Desire and disgust are mirrors of what we’re ashamed of, and I’m sure many at the time Women feel this shame, too.

Hoult also believed that his character was a victim of the era, a man who was loyal to his wife but essentially unable to understand her. “He kept things under wraps,” the British star said. “[He thinks]’Let’s not talk about it or think about it. As long as I get this promotion, everything will be fine and we’ll deal with that later.

Willem Dafoe chimed in: “[Hoult’s] Interestingly, this is the most difficult role in the entire movie. Thomas, he explains, is our introduction to Orlok’s terrifying ensemble, and the audience has no choice but to absorb the terror he exudes. “The audience is with him and he has to keep this fear. It can’t harden into anything; it keeps morphing. That’s really hard to do because he’s affected by it too. Depp called Hoult’s performance “so Beautiful”: “You really feel the birth of darkness. “

Dafoe is something of an incarnation of Stoker’s vampire hunter Professor Abraham Van Helsing. The fictional Professor Albin Eberhard von Franz was ostracized from the academic world in which he was a part because of his obsession with necromancy.

Von Franz is the only character in the play Nosferatu Who truly understands Allen’s pain. Did Dafoe really think his character was the one Eggers himself wanted to play? “He’s curious,” Dafoe said with a laugh. “I just thought, ‘Wow, this is juicy.’ I’m interested in these things, but I don’t know much about them, so I ate the research. What are the Hollywood tropes that have developed over the years?

A refutation of these metaphors Nosferatu It feels purposeful, an exploration of vampire mythology. Today, viewers think Karens twilightEl Salvador the Vampire Diarieseven a blond, fanged Tom Cruise Visit the Vampire. Why do we romanticize them? Is this movie a rejection of the hotness they’re portrayed in pop culture?

“It all goes back to John Polidori’s [1819 horror short] vampire,” Eggers said. “This was the first popular vampire story in English literature. His vampire prototype was Lord Byron, not the vampire of folklore. So the sexy aristocrat had become the mold. Although Stoker did something different matter Draculahe is still based on that character. I think as vampires go in movies, there’s something appealing about them because of their ability to transcend death.

“But I think Bill’s vampire is sexy,” Eggers added, followed by a chorus of agreement from the cast. “He has a huge appetite,” Dafoe said.

“Appetite” is a good word to express the charm of Skarsgård’s character. Based on Murnau’s film and Werner Herzog’s film, he has a bald head, pointed ears, and elongated fingers Vampire Nosferatu From 1979. “I knew he was going to be in the shadows for a long time,” Skarsgård said. “That voice is mine [only] form of expression. He collaborated with an opera singer who lowered his voice a full octave. “We screened the film last week in Stockholm with my friends and family, and some of them didn’t believe it was my voice, or they thought it was the voice actor.” (smiled.) “Rob and I built it together, which meant we had the freedom to create our version of it and make it different from, you know, [in a heavy, imitative Transylvanian accent]’Dracula!

At this moment, Depp personally performed the image of Dracula for everyone. They laughed. “It’s very Italian,” she said. “I think this is the last time [role] In a world where I can play.

Skarsgård began to decipher the meaning of the novella Eggers had written specifically for him about O’Rourke’s backstory. Before the director intervened, the actor said that the count had a family and had been married: “I don’t want the world to know his backstory. But he has a very detailed profile.

Eggers is the expert. he told THR The first time he saw Murnau Nosferatu when he was nine years old. “This had a major impact on me,” he began. “One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen is… it was on VHS. It was made from a crappy 16mm print. You see the restored version today and you can understand what Murnau’s It’s great to see a movie like this, but what I saw was super degenerate and Max Schreck looked like a real vampire, like something dug out of the past. There was something unsettling about it. The authenticity of forgetfulness.

The filmmaker isn’t holding back on his latest shoot. This movie should serve as a warning to those who are not too keen on seeing rats. The broad practical impact – requiring them to lie shirtless beneath a swarm of rodents – was a double-edged sword, Colin said. “In those moments, it serves an incredible purpose,” they said. “It’s the same thing with Practical Suit. It creates an immersive world that is completely alive to the actors in it and to the audience watching it. You can enter this history so easily and be completely convinced and convinced by it. Rip. But then you’re working with 20 incontinent rats on your bare chest.

this Nosferatu Cast Combat Rats, Corpses, and Mad Dogs. They evoke a sense of dread rarely seen on screen – Depp’s unraveling perfectly complements Skarsgård’s sinister hunger. That leaves one final question: Who is the biggest screamer?

“William,” Eggers said, asking Dafoe for permission to tell a story.

“When we were filming lighthouseI’m with my wife, we’re in Halifax [in Nova Scotia]. We were going to dinner and a homeless man was screaming in the street. He was screaming, screaming, screaming, and I said to my wife, “Let’s pick up the pace.” We were almost to the restaurant. And this is Halifax, how bad can this guy be? The homeless man just kept screaming, getting louder and closer. We were rushing to the restaurant when all of a sudden this guy jumped on my back and screamed in my ear. This is Willem Dafoe, wearing leather pants.

Dafoe replied: “Sometimes when I see a friend on the street, especially a woman, I follow them, [mimics jumping out at someone]”. His actors laughed again. “Because then you can reassure them!”

focus feature’ Nosferatu Releases December 25th.