We were on the red carpet at the New York Film Festival Premiere of “At Eternity’s Gate” on Friday evening.
The film, which was directed and co-written by Julian Schnabel, is a look at the life of painter Vincent van Gogh during the time he lived in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise, France. The film hits theaters on November 16, 2018.
The Knockturnal: What most surprised you about van Gogh? And what do you say to those who say you aren’t the right age to play him?
Willem Dafoe: I was surprised that he was only 37 years old. And then I thought and I looked, did some research, what the average age of mortality was in France in the late 19th Century. 40 years old. Now it’s 70 years old, so without being too cute about it, today’s 70 was yesteryear’s 40. And he had a very tough life. So anyone that’s talking in those terms isn’t understanding the kind of movie we’re making and doesn’t have an imagination about how physical health and how things have changed over the years. I even heard someone say, “Well, it takes away from the idea that he died so tragically as a young man.” My point is, 37 wasn’t young in those days. And particularly if you’re drinking absinthe every day. That’s my very, I hope, convincing, response to that age question. Get it out there.
The Knockturnal: Speak about your research.
Willem Dafoe: And his letters were very important. At one point, while Jean-Claude and Julian were writing, Julian directed me toward the Naifeh / White Smith book, Van Gogh: The Life. And he encouraged me to write down all the little things that interested me. Quotes that interested me, or little events. And I read the book and took lots of notes and gave it to them. And a lot of those things ended up in the screenplay. So, that was nice and gave me a stake in the screenplay, organically, but also, he wrote some beautiful things. And he thought many things, sometimes contradictory, but I was very inspired by what he wrote. And of course the paintings and of course I studied biographical information, but the important thing is, I’m not doing an interpretation. We’re making something, we’re making something that’s more an expressionist portrait.
The Knockturnal: Tell is about your role.
Vladimir Consigny: I play Dr. Ray, who’s the doctor who treated Vincent van Gogh when he had his big episode and he cut his ear off. And he’s a doctor who not only treated him physically, but he also committed him to the psychiatric hospital. And he had a special way, I think, from my perspective, of treating him, ’cause he allowed him to paint. And I’m not sure what was the exact protocol in the hospital back in the days in the south of France, but I’m pretty sure that’s not something that happened a lot. I got involved because Julian Schnabel called me one day and was like, “I’m doing a film about Vincent van Gogh and I want you to play Dr. Ray.” And I didn’t know who Dr. Ray was.
The Knockturnal: But you just said yes, right?
Vladimir Consigny: Yeah, of course, I just said yes.
The Knockturnal: And when did you first meet? How do you know Julian?
Vladimir Consigny: I met him a long time ago ’cause he did a movie on France called The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and my mom was in that. She plays the teacher in this movie.
The Knockturnal: How was working with Willem?
Vladimir Consigny: Working with Willem is one of the most amazing things that ever happened to me. He’s a very dedicated actor. He works a lot, and that’s something that’s very inspiring for me and very impressive. And not only is he a talented actor, not only is he a successful actor, but he’s built a career. To me you don’t judge an actor on one role, you judge him on how he manages to be an actor his whole life. And what he’s managed to do, and the choices he’s made … I hope I’ll be as courageous as he is.
The Knockturnal: Congratulations. Tell us about your role.
Stella Schnabel: I play Vincent van Gogh’s housekeeper, his maid. He didn’t have much of a house, it was just basically a bedroom but I am the apprentice of a woman who runs a bar, so I kind of look after him in a way.
The Knockturnal: And how was working with Willem and watching him transform?
Stella Schnabel: He’s incredible. Willem is an incredibly generous and sophisticated, subtle actor, and he is brilliant. And it was a wonderful experience to work with Willem.
The Knockturnal: Obviously your dad is your dad, and you’ve worked with him on all of his film projects. How has it been to watch him evolve as a filmmaker?
Stella Schnabel: I never felt like it was an evolving thing. He was always kinda on the mark. He’s constantly open to suggestions and to improvisation. And my favorite filmmakers are very involved in improv. So, I love working with my father. It adds a different element and frequency because we know each other, obviously, since I popped out.
The Knockturnal: So what’s coming up next for you?
Stella Schnabel: I have a couple of projects. I made a film in North Carolina where my brother Olmo is the producer. I have written a screenplay that I’m going to direct.
The Knockturnal: Is this your directorial debut?
Stella Schnabel: Yes, for directing. I made a film where I wrote it and acted in it, but I never have directed before.
The Knockturnal: You are a long time collaborator with Julian. How did this film come about?
Jon Kilik: Well, I think this was different from the rest because it was a little bit of reluctance at first. And then we sort of found our way into a reason to do it. And that’s always what we look for. At first, it’s, “Oh, well, everybody knows something about van Gogh, what reason do we have to be the 38th version of a story that’s been told 37 times?” This is so unique in the way it’s made, the experience of watching it, you’re really in his skin. You’re not watching him, you are him. It’s a point of view, really unlike any I’ve ever seen. So to do something that’s so original and yet with a story that seems somewhat familiar is a pretty interesting challenge to take on.
The Knockturnal: And speak about collaborating with Willem on this and watching him transform for the role. It seems like an incredible performance.
Jon Kilik: He’s one of our national treasures and just a great person to work with and inspires so much from everybody around him, from the whole crew. To see his work ethic and what he puts into it, rubs off on everybody, you know, you make a movie with a small budget and not a large group of people, everybody’s gotta really pull their weight and Willem and Julian led the way. And yeah, we had a great group of people. Shot in all the real locations and walking in [van Gogh’s] footsteps.
The Knockturnal: Wow, so you were on location?
Jon Kilik: Oh yeah, in Arles, in Paris and we actually shot in the asylum where van Gogh was.