Why Willem Dafoe Had Emma Stone Slap Him 20 Times for Off-Screen Scene in Upcoming Movie

Getty (2) Emma Stone; Willem Dafoe

Emma Stone got really into character while working with Willem Dafoe — on his insistence!

The actors and Yorgos Lanthimos, who directed Stone and Dafoe in his upcoming movie And, opened up about the process in a Dafoe profile for The New York Times published Thursday.

According the Times, there's a scene in the film where Stone, 34, slaps Dafoe, 67, in the face off-camera — but Dafoe had his costar slap him in real life around 20 times to help make the action look more believable.

Stone also gave some complimentary insight into the type of actor the latter is in her comments to the Times.

"There's this instinct to perform that many actors have — the 'Look at me, look at me!' kind of performer," said the Oscar winner of Dafoe. "He's the opposite of that."

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Getty (2) Emma Stone; Willem Dafoe

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Plot details about And are still being kept under wraps, but it was reported back in October 2022 that the film — which has finished shooting in New Orleans, according to the Times — would also star Jesse Plemons, Joe Alwyn, Margaret Qualley and Hong Chau.

Lanthimos, Stone and Alwyn, 32, previously collaborated on the 2018 film The Favourite, which was nominated for 10 Oscars. Olivia Colman won Best Actress for her performance as Queen Anne, while Stone and Rachel Weisz both earned Best Supporting Actress nominations.

"We are so excited to be collaborating with Joe once again after our extraordinary journey together on The Favourite," Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum, presidents of Searchlight Pictures, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "He is a brilliant actor and a welcome addition to the all-star cast Yorgos has put together here."

Lanthimos' past films include 2015's The Lobster and 2017's The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The Greek writer-director's next feature film, Poor Things, is expected to release in 2023 and stars Stone, Dafoe and Qualley, 28, plus, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef and comedian Jerrod Carmichael.

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Following his villainous return to the Spider-Man franchise as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Dafoe graced the Saturday Night Live stage for the first time as host in January 2022.

In his opening monologue, Dafoe joked about his roles throughout the years, responding to criticism that his acting is "over the top."

"I can't help that I have an expressive face," he explained. "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."

The Nightmare Alley star added, "Maybe that's why people come up to me and say, 'You know what role you'd be perfect for? The Joker.' It's always nice to hear that you got the vibe of a sociopath."