Ethan Hawke And Willem Dafoe Got Naked And Howled At The Moon, Which Was Just Another Typical Tuesday Night

We here at /Film have a proud history of deciding not to recognize April Fool's Day in any way, shape, or form. That's not only because today has to be the absolute dumbest "holiday" ever invented by humanity, shamelessly pandering to the lowest common denominators among us and lowering the bar of "humor" to the point where it defies all reason whatsoever. No, my logic is even simpler than that. Why go to the trouble of making up absurd headlines in the moviesphere for kicks and giggles when actual news items happen to require absolutely no exaggeration whatsoever?

Take the latest quote from Ethan Hawke, acclaimed actor of the "Before" trilogy of Richard Linklater romantic dramas and who can currently be seen as the creepy antagonist, Arthur Harrow, in the Disney+ "Moon Knight" series. While the latest Marvel series is shaping up to be one of the franchise's best additions, Hawke's next project on the horizon appears set to be even more exciting. 

Robert Eggers ("The Witch") has established himself in no time at all as one of the best and most visionary talents in the business and is coming off "The Lighthouse," the black-and-white picture that put stranded lighthouse keepers Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson at each other's throats on the tiniest spit of land. The director's follow-up, "The Northman," just might be even more compelling. The scope and scale truly feel epic, with a brilliant cast starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Dafoe leading the way.

For Hawke in particular, the change of pace afforded by "The Northman" sure seems like one that was just too tempting to let slip through his hands. "It's like you found some epic Viking poem that's 700 years old and brought it to life," he told GQ in a recent interview. But if that were the full extent of his remarks on his newest movie, well, we probably wouldn't be here right now. No, that headline above demands a payoff that delivers. Folks, believe me when I say that this payoff delivers.

Willem Dafoe and Ethan Hawke have worked together on a grand total of one movie in the past ("Daybreakers," in 2009), which makes their next collaboration on "The Northman" that much more exciting for the both of them. In fact, it sounds like the two brilliant actors got along swimmingly. Later in the GQ profile, Hawke goes on to describe one of their big scenes together in Eggers' latest film. It perhaps doesn't quite reach the heights of previous scene descriptions, involving "A naked swordfight on a volcano" or yet another Eggers movie that happens to feature its fair share of farts. That said, the studio ought to slap this description on every single piece of marketing for the film and watch audiences turn up in droves. Here's what Hawke had to say about playing opposite Dafoe again:

"We have one amazing scene. 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 odd thing here is that I totally and unquestionably believe Hawke. Dafoe may have been somewhat typecast in villainous and unsavory roles throughout his career, particularly in the last few decades, but I have no doubt that the actor himself is an absolute gem to hang out with on the set of a Viking epic.

As for "The Northman" itself, it may be facing a bit of an uphill battle at the box office once it debuts later this April. But for those viewers who do turn up to watch all this madness unfold on the big screen, these and many more surprises surely wait in store. "The Northman" comes to theaters on April 22, 2022.