Willem Dafoe
[Starts with SNL monologue intro]
[Cut to SNL stage]
[Band is playing music]
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, Willem Dafoe.
[Willem Dafoe walks in and to the stage]
[cheers and applause]
Willem Dafoe: Thank you. Thank you very much. It’s great to be back home in New York. This is where I started. I moved here when I was 21, had no money and rented an apartment on 10th Avenue A for 200 bucks a month. And that’s where I learned how to act. For example, I had to act like I enjoyed having a bathtub in my kitchen. I got started in experimental theater. I was an original member of the Wooster Group. And that background really taught me how to throw myself into a role. Some people tell me that my acting is over the top. But to me, one man’s over the top is another man’s engaged performance. For instance, in this scene, people assume I’m about to toss somebody off a building. When in reality, I was just reading a really good book. I can’t help them have an expressive face. I can’t control it. I don’t think about controlling it. I’m not one of those subtle actors like Nicolas Cage or Al Pacino. Maybe that’s why people come up to me and say, “You know what role you’d be perfect for? The Joker.” Always nice to hear that you get the vibe of a sociopath.
Listen, I wanna thank you all for coming out in the snowstorm. When I was a kid in Appleton, Wisconsin, winters were–
Aidy: Excuse me! Did someone say Appleton Wisconsin?
Willem Dafoe: Yeah, I did.
Aidy: Well, you’re never going to believe this. But we are from Appleton too.
Mikey: Yeah. Born and raised.
Willem Dafoe: That’s nice. You came here to support one of your own.
Mikey: No, no, we got tickets from the lottery.
Aidy: Yeah, I had no idea you were hosting but we’re huge fans. We’ve seen all your Spider-Man movies. Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man the new one.
Willem Dafoe: You know I have done other films.
Mikey: Oh, yeah, we know. We know we loved you in full metal jacket.
Willem Dafoe: I actually wasn’t in that one. Maybe you’re thinking of Platoon.
Mikey: No, no.
Aidy: And you were great in the Passion of the Christ.
Willem Dafoe: I wasn’t in that one either. I was in “Last Temptation of Christ.”
Aidy: Well what about “Speed 2: Cruise Control?”
Mikey: Yeah, that was you in Speed 2, right?
Willem Dafoe: That was me.
Aidy: Well, Appleton is just so proud of you. I mean, you’re out there making movies with big Hollywood stars like Timothy Chalamet and Shrek.
Mikey: We just wish you still had your Wisconsin accent.
Willem Dafoe: Oh, well, I can I can still speak Wisconsin.
Aidy: Oh, well, can you do for it us?
Mikey: Oh yeah, I bet everyone back home would just flip if you did a real Wisconsin accent on TV.
Willem Dafoe: Okay, sure. Ay you guys? Let’s go down to Graham Bose and get a drink from the bubbler.
Aidy: You still got it.
Mikey: Yeah. Hey, has anyone told you, you should play the Joker?
Willem Dafoe: We got a great show for you tonight. Katy Perry is here. So stick around and we’ll be right back.