Waking Up With Willem Dafoe

Last Sunday morning, I had to be up for a 7 AM Zoom call with legendary actor Willem Dafoe to talk about whisky. By 1 PM, I’d written an article about it for the fine folks at Food & Wine. And before the clock struck 8 I was off to the airport for a flight to the UK, where I’d spend the next several days zig-zagging between London, Glasgow, Islay and Edinburgh (and drinking copious amounts of rare and delicious whisky throughout). Some days my job is more interesting than others.

Willem Dafoe is the new celebrity… I don’t know if spokesman is the right word. Embodiment, maybe? Anyway, he’s now basically being Willem Dafoe on behalf of Laphroaig, the legendary and sometimes confounding Islay malt that’s been doing its peaty, smoky thing since 1815. He’s got a special whisky in the works, on which he consulted, and he made a short film trying to put Laphroaig’s distinctive flavor into words. It looks like an ‘80s music video in spots, which makes sense because it was directed by legendary music video maestro Tim Pope, who directed classic videos by the Cure, David Bowie, Siouxsie & The Banshees, and about a billion others.

Want to find out more? It’s oh so easy! Link to my hastily written (but expertly edited) article is -> HERE <-.