During the Hollywood actors strike, Willem Dafoe, facing a four-month work hiatus due to the SAG-AFTRA union walkout, transformed into a “gentleman farmer,” dedicating his time to tending animals and growing vegetables on his Italian estate.
“I love to work, and the hiatus was longer than preferred. Discussing this is tricky. Let’s just say I became a gentleman farmer—lots of animals, a vegetable garden. Despite being a vegetarian, it’s for their company and a naive attempt to give them a good life,” revealed Willem Dafoe to ‘The Guardian.’ Alongside chickens, turkey, goats, and sheep, Dafoe and wife Giada Colagrande share a special bond with their alpacas, as reported by aceshowbiz.com
Describing his diverse menagerie, Dafoe emphasized the unique personalities of each alpaca, contrasting them with the more generic relationships he has with sheep and goats. He expressed his dedication to a busy daily routine, stating, “I wake up, I hit the ground running. My day is dedicated to doing things and taking care of things. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop, what can I tell ya?”
Dafoe also shared his reluctance to discuss his farm extensively, fearing it might come across as dull. Reflecting on his early days in Hollywood, he recalled a shift in his expectations, noting, “I remember one of the first movies I was in (1980’s ‘Heaven’s Gate’). I had never been in a studio or Hollywood movie before. I was used to being with the downtown crowd in New York, in a very fertile period.” He added, “When I went on set, I thought everybody would be talking about poetry and film and philosophy. And everybody was talking about their dogs and their horses and their ranches, and I thought, this is a drag, ya know? And now, I’ve become one of them.”
