Willem Dafoe reveals he was ‘Uncast’ from a film due to controversial role in The Last Temptation of Christ
Acclaimed actor Willem Dafoe has revealed that he was once removed from a film project due to his role in Martin Scorsese’s contentious 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ. The actor, currently promoting his latest film Nosferatu, shared his reflections during an interview on The Louis Theroux Podcast.
In The Last Temptation of Christ, Dafoe portrayed Jesus Christ in a depiction that sparked widespread controversy upon release. The film, based on Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel of the same name, reimagined Christ as a more human figure who, in one sequence, steps down from the cross and contemplates a life of marriage, family, and human desires. The portrayal of Jesus with such earthly yearnings provoked an intense backlash, particularly from religious communities, with the Church leading much of the outrage.
Dafoe reflected on the uproar surrounding the film, describing it as disproportionate. “It’s just strange, in a world of slasher films and porn, that people got so upset about this,” he said. “It’s based on a novel and, broadly speaking, they’re changing the classic story a little bit to consider the character of Jesus in a different way, that’s all.”
The actor dismissed accusations that the film sought to undermine religious beliefs. “It’s not this plot to overthrow or change religious thought. It’s a consideration, another way of looking at the human aspect of Jesus, as opposed to the divine part.”
When asked if the backlash had impacted his career, Dafoe admitted: “Only to a degree.” He recounted one particular instance where the fallout from the film affected him directly. “Down the road there was one project in particular that I was cast in, and the studio uncast me because they didn’t like that I was associated with The Last Temptation of Christ,” he revealed. However, Dafoe was quick to downplay the incident, adding: “I don’t want to do a big, crocodile tears about that because it could have been much worse.”
He noted that most of the controversy centred on Scorsese himself. “I think most of the responsibility fell on Martin Scorsese,” he explained, before pointing to the broader cultural backlash in America. “It became a huge antisemitic thing too, because there was an association that this religious right talked about. ‘The evil people in Hollywood.’ So, in America anyway, that was the main fight.”
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Dafoe also touched on another divisive moment in his career – the 1993 erotic thriller Body of Evidence, in which he starred opposite Madonna. While the film received heavy criticism, particularly in the UK, it found a warmer reception in other regions. “You know, every time I come to the UK they give me a hard time about Body of Evidence,” Dafoe laughed. “But if I’m in a Latin American country, they love it.”
The film was often dismissed as a poor imitation of Basic Instinct, which had been released the previous year, though Dafoe disagreed with this assessment. “People that didn’t care for it, they thought it was a knockoff of that. I don’t think that was it. It was kind of an old-fashioned courtroom drama thing, with this sex spin on it. Madonna was doing her Sex book then, she was at the height of her sexiness,” he said.
He also discussed the infamous sex scene in which Madonna dripped hot wax on him, describing it as “no big deal”. By contrast, he cited his burial scene in Robert Eggers’ 2019 horror film The Lighthouse as one of the most extreme experiences he has ever filmed.
Dafoe’s reflections reveal a career shaped by bold artistic choices, many of which have sparked intense debate. Yet, his ability to navigate controversy with humility and perspective remains a hallmark of his enduring presence in cinema.
