Michael Keaton is a renowned actor who has appeared in numerous incredible films throughout his career. It was Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), in which he played the titular character that contributed to his rise to stardom. With his impeccable performance in the superhero film, Keaton made a lasting impact on the audience. While he became a fan favorite with his phenomenal performance, there is someone whom he admires in the film industry. During an interview, Michael Keaton shared his opinion on Willem Dafoe’s performance in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and commended his acting talent.
Michael Keaton praises Willem Dafoe’s acting chops
Michael Keaton is an established actor, and major credit for his success goes to his involvement in renowned superhero franchises like DC and Marvel. He made his debut in the superhero franchise with Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. After a long hiatus of almost three decades, he returned to superhero films, portraying the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and reprising his role as Batman in The Flash (2023).
Being a pioneer in the superhero genre, Keaton is undeniably a fan’s favorite. But there is someone else from the superhero genre film who he looks up to. In an episode of GQ‘s iconic roles series of videos, Michael Keaton talked about his admiration for Willem Dafoe, whose performance as Green Goblin in the first installment of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. Keaton said, “You watch Willem Dafoe (…) in Spider-Man, he’s unbelievably good. I mean, he’s unbelievably good.”
Keaton was indeed right when he claimed that Dafoe was “unbelievably good.” The actor made an impressive impact on the franchise and the superhero movie genre with his performance. The character of Green Goblin, whom Dafoe brought to life, is outlandish in both looks and behavior, which makes him a difficult character to adapt to without coming off as a parody. However, the ease with which Dafoe portrayed the character is indeed commendable. Needless to say, Dafoe very neatly picked the intricacies of the character to portray this dichotomy.
Dafoe is an actor who gives his best in every role he performs, and his performance as Goblin is proof of this. He portrayed the character with utter authenticity. Dafoe’s return in Spider-Man: No Way Home only improves his role, as he gets the chance to portray the Green Goblin to the full extent of his ability with the villain’s face unmasked.
His unmatched performance as Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man has undoubtedly set the bar too high.
