Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe ‘get naked’ and ‘howl at the moon’
Bow wow!
Ethan Hawke, who stars in the upcoming Viking epic “The Northman,” has shared some intriguing details about his new work on-screen with his acting “hero,” Willem Dafoe, in an interview with GQ UK.
Hawke, 51, described a wild memory while filming that he and Dafoe, 66 won’t soon forget, involving nudity, animal noises and “Viking acid.” In the film, he and Dafoe are overcome by their animalistic instincts while tripping on “Viking acid,” leading them to strip down and play like wolves.
The two hedonists star in a tale about a Norse king, played by Hawke, who is murdered, then avenged by his son, a bearded and brawny Alexander Skarsgård.
Tellingly, Dafoe assumes the role of Heimir the Fool.
“We have one amazing scene,” Hawke said. “We get naked and do some kind of Viking acid and howl at the moon together. And, oh my God, if you have to be naked and howl at the moon, he’s a great person to do it with.”
The film was directed and co-written by Roberts Eggers (“The Lighthouse”), who worked with Icelandic poet Sjón to adapt the Scandinavian legend of Amleth, the story of which served as the inspiration for William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.” It also stars Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy and Björk.
“The Northman” hits theatres April 22.
“The Training Day” actor last worked with Dafoe on the 2010 sci-fi horror movie “The Daybreakers.” Soon, Hawke also joins Marvel’s villainous ranks, alongside “Spider-Man” ’s Green Goblin, as he stars in the upcoming Disney+ superhero series “Moon Knight,” in which he plays a cult leader and central villain.
“You can’t sit there in judgment about what is high art and what is not high art,” Hawke said while discussing his initial reluctance to take up the comic book-based role. “I want people to love just going to the movies, and this is what they love. And let’s try to make them as good as possible.”
“Moon Knight,” also starring Oscar Isaac, premiers on Disney’s streaming app Wednesday.