10 Best Willem Dafoe Film Performances

Martin Scorsese's controversial masterwork, The Last Temptation of Christ allowed the filmmaker to tap into the more human side of Jesus Christ. Steering clear of the more divine and surreal religious aspects of the story, Last Temptation takes the brave step of painting Jesus as a philosophical, questioning man whose message of forgiveness becomes all the more powerful because of his increased vulnerability.

Dafoe portrays Jesus as much more than a religious symbol. Rather, he is hopeful but reviled, persistent but confused, angry but willing. He captures the human side of Jesus's divinity with ease, and though the backlash from the religious community ruined his award chances, Dafoe's performance still remains one of his most accomplished and emotionally powerful works.

Also, he reportedly went blind for three days during filming, due to an over-use of his eye drops (used to give his eyes a wider, darker look) and a scene in which he had to look directly into the sun. That's some dedication.