Willem Dafoe is set to join the cast of Jason Reitman’s upcoming film ‘SNL 1975’, which delves into the origins of the iconic late-night show ‘Saturday Night Live’. Dafoe will portray David Tebet, the VP of Talent Relations at NBC during the show’s launch. The film, based on true events, follows the intense preparation and excitement leading up to the premiere episode of Saturday Night Live on October 11, 1975, capturing the essence of a revolutionary moment in television history.
The screenplay, penned by Reitman and Gil Kenan, is based on extensive interviews with the original cast, writers, and crew of SNL. The film is produced by Reitman, Kenan, Jason Blumenfeld, Erica Mills, and Peter Rice.
Dafoe, with a career spanning nearly 45 years and over 150 film credits, has received four Oscar nominations. He was nominated for Best Actor for his role in ‘Eternity’s Gate’ (2018) and Best Supporting Actor for ‘The Florida Project’ (2017), ‘Shadow of the Vampire’ (2000), and ‘Platoon’ (1986).
Dafoe’s recent projects include the Best Picture-nominated ‘Poor Things’, his fifth collaboration with Wes Anderson in ‘Asteroid City’, and his voice work in the English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and The Heron’. He is set to appear in Tim Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Kinds of Kindness’, Isaiah Saxon’s fantasy epic ‘The Legend of Ochi’, Olmo Schnabel’s ‘Pet Shop Days’, and Patricia Arquette’s ‘Gonzo Girl’. He is also slated to star in Robert Eggers’ ‘Nosferatu’, his third collaboration with the director. Dafoe has recently completed filming Nadia Latif’s ‘The Man in My Basement’ and will soon start shooting ‘American Nails’, his eighth collaboration with Abel Ferrara.