Kent Jones on Directing Dafoe in 'Late Fame'
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Kent Jones directs 'Late Fame,' which opens in theaters on Friday, August 7, starring Willem Dafoe as Ed Saxberger, a forgotten New York poet working at the post office who is rediscovered by an 'enthusiasm society' of young writers.
- Samy Burch adapted the screenplay from an Arthur Schnitzler novella, and Jones chose her script over Schnitzler's original because it 'took some of the edge off' and treated the characters with warmth rather than cynicism.
- Dafoe was 'practically the only actor that would make sense in that part,' according to Jones, who said the film is 'unthinkable without him' — a vindication of Jones' belief that actors are not interchangeable.
- Jones shot with a handheld style and multiple cameras specifically to remain open to wherever actors wanted to go 'emotionally and physically,' saying he doesn't understand directors who 'dictate to the actor as if they're just a figure in a landscape.'
- Two actors were replaced during production after falling out of the film, and Jones called both replacements 'a lucky break,' framing good directing as an ability to 'let yourself be surprised' by changes you didn't plan.
- Jones came to features late after a career as a critic, stints working with Martin Scorsese for 35 years, and a tenure as director of the New York Film Festival; his debut feature 'Diane' showcased Mary Kay Place.
Why it matters: Jones frames his directorial philosophy — handheld cameras, multiple setups, deference to actors — as a deliberate counter to auteur-style control, illustrated by the two recasts he calls 'lucky breaks.' For actors like Dafoe, the approach yields roles shaped by an unusually collaborative process, and Jones' late-career pivot from critic and Scorsese collaborator to feature director positions 'Late Fame' as the culmination of a path he says 'wasn't really a plan.'
