Willem Dafoe Reflects on the State of Cinema, Comic Book Legacy, and High-Altitude Filming at the Zurich Film Festival

ZURICH — Willem Dafoe took center stage at the opening night of the Zurich Film Festival to present his latest cinematic venture, the high-stakes mountaineering epic “Tenzing.” Beyond celebrating the festival’s premiere, the acclaimed actor used the international platform to address the current landscape of the global box office, sharing his thoughts on the industry’s record-breaking numbers, the enduring dominance of massive tentpole franchises, and the vital necessity of experiencing cinema on the big screen.

The discussion arrived on the heels of a historic $4.76 billion U.S. summer box office season, a period heavily fueled by massive blockbuster performances. While acknowledging the financial triumphs of the season—led largely by high-profile features such as Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and Destin Daniel Cretton’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”—Dafoe pointed out structural concerns regarding how audiences consume modern studio output.

“The only problem is that the audience comes mainly from three, four huge movies,” Dafoe remarked during his festival appearance, addressing the concentration of ticket sales among a tiny fraction of Hollywood’s major releases. While noting that a select few independent or mid-budget pictures occasionally break through the noise and capture public enthusiasm, he emphasized that the industry’s economic health requires a wider distribution of viewers across a more diverse slate of projects.

For Dafoe, navigating the delicate balance between high-concept studio blockbusters and intimate, avant-garde festival films is familiar territory. Over a celebrated career spanning decades, the versatile actor has seamlessly transitioned between commercial enterprises and boundary-pushing auteur-driven projects. He has cultivated a reputation for collaborating with visionary filmmakers early in their careers, working alongside renowned directors such as Sean Baker, Wes Anderson, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Robert Eggers, while simultaneously anchoring major studio pictures that capture global audiences.

Reflecting on his entry into the massive comic book film phenomenon, Dafoe looked back at his iconic turn as the villainous Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s foundational 2002 adaptation of “Spider-Man.” He recalled that when he was first approached for the role, the genre did not carry the cultural prestige or commercial inevitability it commands today.

“When I was proposed this role, some of my friends were like: ‘Are you kidding? Are you going to play this green guy? That’s not cool! That sounds like a terrible movie!’” Dafoe shared with the audience.

At the time, comic book adaptations were not yet the dominant template for Hollywood business-as-normal. However, Dafoe’s decision to sign on was driven less by the source material and more by his creative trust in the director. Admitting that he was never an avid comic book reader or deeply versed in that particular pop culture mythos, Dafoe noted that Raimi’s infectious passion changed his mind entirely.

“I was not a big comic book fan; I didn’t know about this world, but Sam Raimi did,” Dafoe said. “I saw his attachment to it and saw how he saw it. I liked him so much that he really is what got me into it. Once I was in it, I had really fun things to do.”

Despite his extensive filmography featuring countless acclaimed independent dramas and auteur-driven masterworks, Dafoe acknowledged that a single role continues to define his presence in popular culture for generations of moviegoers. Across all the films he has spearheaded that found critical and commercial success, the most consistent point of recognition from fans remains his portrayal of Norman Osborn’s unhinged alter-ego.

“Probably the Green Goblin,” Dafoe reflected when asked about what audiences most frequently recognize him for. “For better or for worse. Luckily, I do other things so I am not haunted by this mono-identity, but it’s pretty strong.”

His engagement with the superhero genre did not end with the early-2000s trilogy. Dafoe later reprised the iconic antagonist in the multi-verse crossover event “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” further cementing his legacy within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Maintaining his trademark deadpan wit, Dafoe playfully equated the cultural scale of these massive studio spectacles with high art house cinema, quipping that they hold a place right alongside the notoriously challenging, slow-cinema masterpieces of Hungarian auteur Béla Tarr.

At the Zurich Film Festival, however, Dafoe’s primary focus remained rooted in “Tenzing,” a sweeping biographical drama directed by Jennifer Peedom. The film chronicles the historic first-ever successful ascent of Mount Everest, detailing the landmark 1953 British expedition led by Colonel John Hunt, played by Dafoe. The narrative centers on the monumental achievement of legendary mountaineer Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary, portrayed on screen by Genden Phuntsok and Tom Hiddleston, respectively.

While the story celebrates an iconic triumph of human endurance, bringing the project to life demanded rigorous physical commitment from the cast and crew. Shooting on actual mountain locations at extreme high altitudes required meticulous safety protocols and an unwavering respect for unpredictable environments.

“We had great safety people,” Dafoe noted, detailing the intensive behind-the-scenes measures required to shoot on location. “They’re checking for avalanches, for all sorts of things. There are 10 guys purely helping us slip in and making sure we’re safe, helping us if we struggle.”

Dafoe described the unique collaborative dynamic of working in a completely unmanipulated natural setting, where the landscape itself serves as an unforgiving participant in the storytelling process.

“That’s the tension. Nature is the biggest partner you’ll have because it tells you what you have to do,” he explained. “There is no invented world. It’s a world that really exists; you’re not questioning [its] authenticity. You’re definitely on this mountain, and you’re definitely having a little hard time breathing, or you’re fatigued, or you’re hungry, or you have to go to the toilet, and there’s no toilet there… All kinds of challenges and, on top of that, you’ve got the scenes.”

Following its warm reception from festival audiences in Zurich, “Tenzing” is scheduled to receive a limited theatrical release in the United States beginning October 9, offering viewers the chance to experience the breathtaking scale of the epic on the big screen before it becomes globally available for streaming on Apple TV starting October 16.