Willem Dafoe Stars in Late Fame as an Aging Poet in New York

Willem Dafoe stars as an aging postal employee and forgotten poet in the drama Late Fame, directed by Kent Jones. The 96-minute, unrated feature film updates its story to modern-day New York City and is distributed in the United States by Magnolia Pictures.

Willem Dafoe Stars in Late Fame as an Aging Poet in New York

The film follows Ed Saxberger, a man approaching 70 who works at the Post Office and has not written poetry in years. Although he published a book in 1979 titled Way Past Go, decades passed without literary acclaim until a star-struck young man named Meyers, played by Edmund Donovan, arrives at his door. Meyers, an Obie Award winner who preens in white turtlenecks, is convinced that Saxberger is one of the defining artists of his era. Meyers introduces the poet to his literary and artistic circle known as The Enthusiasm Society, which meets at a local coffeehouse and includes a token female member named Gloria, played by Greta Lee.

Literary Origins and Screenplay Development

The project is based on a novella written around 1910 by Austrian author Arthur Schnitzler. The source material remained unpublished for over a hundred years until 2014. Schnitzler also provided the literary basis for Stanley Kubrick’s film Eyes Wide Shut. The screenplay for Late Fame was adapted by Samy Burch.

Willem Dafoe became attached to the project after the book was recommended to him by his friend, actor-writer Daniel Zippi. While carrying the book in his knapsack on a flight from New York to Los Angeles, Dafoe happened to run into filmmaker Kent Jones, whom he knew through the New York Film Festival. Two days later, Jones contacted the actor with the project proposal.

Character Dynamics and Performances

Within the narrative, Meyers invites Saxberger to contribute to an upcoming old-school Greenwich Village café evening featuring poetry readings and performances. This interaction draws Saxberger into a dynamic with Meyers and Gloria, effectively forming a three-hander among Dafoe, Donovan, and Lee. Greta Lee portrays Gloria as a complex figure blending dangerous vulnerability with sharp perceptiveness.

Willem Dafoe Stars in Late Fame as an Aging Poet in New York — Photo: yahoo.com

For Dafoe, who has spent 40 years as an acclaimed actor and earned four Oscar nominations, certain elements of the story resonated with his own background. He noted that the film captures a nostalgia for the mid-1970s New York downtown scene where he was formed as an actor. Reflecting on his character’s realization of aging, Dafoe pointed to a line in the script where Saxberger remarks that he used to be the youngest person in every room and is now the oldest—a sentiment Dafoe has expressed in real-life interviews.

Release and Distribution Details

Late Fame has a running time of 96 minutes and is unrated. The distribution rollout includes a commercial release by Magnolia Pictures following festival slots on the awards circuit, with theatrical screenings scheduled in locations including Bay Area theaters.