Willem Dafoe made a “beautiful” movie in 1985. He wishes more people had seen it
Willem Dafoe says his role in William Friedkin’s 1985 crime thriller *To Live and Die in LA* was a “beautiful” part, and he loved working with the director. He believes the film struggled to find an audience because it offered no morally upright character for viewers to root for, though it has since gained greater recognition.
Dafoe played Eric Masters, a murderous counterfeiter, in the neo-noir film about gangsters and FBI agents. He has said the part helped lead to his casting in Friedkin’s *Platoon*, which earned him his first Oscar nomination in 1987; Friedkin later named both *To Live and Die in LA* and *Sorcerer* among his favourite films he directed.
- Dafoe praised his role in Friedkin’s 1985 crime thriller.
- He said the film initially struggled to attract an audience.
- The film has since become one of Friedkin’s best-regarded works.