Anya-Taylor Joy and Willem Dafoe talk reteaming with director Robert Eggers on The Northman
The Northman adds another string to director Robert Eggers' bow. The filmmaker – behind The Witch and The Lighthouse – is best known for his intimate, esoteric movies shot on a limited budget, yet his upcoming feature is a hulking epic with a hugely exciting, star-studded cast.
Among the names – including Ethan Hawke, Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Björk – are a handful of actors returning to the Eggers' fold. Anya Taylor-Joy, who broke out thanks to her stunning turn in The Witch, has a co-leading role in the new film, while Willem Dafoe (reuniting with Eggers after The Lighthouse) is Heimir the fool. Kate Dickie and Ralph Ineson are also back working with Eggers.
For Taylor-Joy, reteaming with the director was a no-brainer. "Absolutely," she chuckles while talking with Total Film for the new issue of the magazine. She points to the creative team behind Eggers' films re-assembling. "I mean, I will take any opportunity to be a part of making art with this group of people. It really felt like a homecoming, and I was absolutely elated every single day. We’ve all maintained a family unit. But what I will say is that the scale of this film is much bigger. There were definitely moments where Rob, Jarin [Blaschke, Director of Photography] and I would look at each other, and we’re like, ‘OK, this is different than me helping lay down the dolly track. We’re moving up in the world!’"
Dafoe flashes the toothy grin he so effectively clamped around the stem of a pipe in The Lighthouse. “Of course I wanted to work with him again,” he says. "The Lighthouse was such a good experience, and also I admired, very much, The Witch. That’s what really led me to reach out to him, to have a meeting. And then we hit it off. I think he’s a
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