SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME Star Willem Dafoe Explains Why They Ditched Green Goblin's Mask - SPOILERS

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME Star Willem Dafoe Explains Why They Ditched Green Goblin's Mask - SPOILERS

Spider-Man: No Way Home star Willem Dafoe has explained why the decision was made to ditch the Green Goblin's mask so early in the movie, while also revealing the importance of the villain's action scenes.

By JoshWilding - Jan 06, 2022 11:01 AM EST
Filed Under: No Way Home
Source: The New York Times

Spider-Man: No Way Home brings back a lot of familiar faces from the past, but it's Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin who arguably makes the biggest impact. While the actor got to pick up right where he left off in 2002's Spider-Man, Norman Osborn destroys his mask during his second scene in the movie - a creative decision that proves beneficial to Dafoe's performance.

After all, a scene like the one where Tom Holland's Peter Parker repeatedly punches Norman only to have the Goblin laugh in his face the entire time would not have worked as well with a mask in the way. However, a lot of fans were still disappointed to see the Goblin mask dropped so soon into Spider-Man: No Way Home. Talking to The New York Times, Dafoe explained what led to the decision.

"I must be honest, I am aware that there was some criticism of that [Green Goblin] mask in the original one. We heard it enough that it was probably a consideration, to change it up a little bit," the actor explains. "I don’t think about that because I don’t think about emoting with my face. My face follows my heart. It’s just an expression of what you’re feeling."

In the same interview, Dafoe talked about wanting to make sure Norman was more than just a meme in the threequel. "I really didn’t want to do a cameo," he said of being approached for Spider-Man: No Way Home"I wanted to make sure there was something substantial enough to do that wasn’t just a tip of the hat. And the other thing was, I said I really want there to be action - I want to take part in action scenes. Because that’s really fun for me. It’s the only way to root the character. Otherwise it just becomes a series of memes."

Mask or no mask, Dafoe's work in the movie was nothing short of spectacular. Another scene or two with him in full costume would have probably been welcomed, but it ultimately didn't hurt Spider-Man: No Way Home to head down a different route. After all, the Goblin now stands out as the MCU Spidey's greatest foe.

See what Tom Holland told us about working with Dafoe in the player below:
 

Tom Holland Shares Disappointment With SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME - I Might Have Done Three Days On Location
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Tom Holland Shares Disappointment With SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME - "I Might Have Done Three Days On Location"

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Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 1/6/2022, 11:03 AM
"My face follows my heart."

You must have one scary heart.
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 1/6/2022, 11:09 AM
@Reeds2Much - The man is a sexy beast.
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 1/6/2022, 11:26 AM
@Reeds2Much - BRUH
Spidey91
Spidey91 - 1/6/2022, 11:06 AM
"I'm in but only if I can beat people up"
-Willem Dafoe, probably.
AC1
AC1 - 1/6/2022, 11:08 AM
I have mixed feelings on the mask situation - on the one hand, yeah you got to see waaaaaay more of his performance (which was perfect for shots like him laughing while Tom/Peter was swinging for him in Happy's building) but on the other hand it made him feel less recognisable as the Green Goblin which was a shame.

Plus, I've got a soft spot for that mask, Raimi's Spider-Man was my favourite movie pretty much throughout my childhood and I loved Goblin in that - even though the costume does look a bit off by today's standards, I always figured it could easily be updated, which NWH proved; I just kinda wish the mask had been a part of the updated look.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 1/6/2022, 11:08 AM
I wish his face had become green and scaly like in Ultimate Spider-Man when Aunt May injects him with the syringe, that coupled with the purple hood would have been awesome.
http://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSwWAfsKn5K4DStPiM6dqBdOyGgPIWCkfpZ9w&usqp=CAU
soberchimera
soberchimera - 1/6/2022, 11:10 AM
@soberchimera -
AC1
AC1 - 1/6/2022, 11:10 AM
But yeah Willem was kinda the MVP of this movie for me, and that's saying something considering how pretty much every single member of the cast brought their A-game. This was also Tom's best performance as Peter, and I'm genuinely surprised at just how well the two of them played off of one another considering Willem technically isn't even Tom's Goblin!
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 1/6/2022, 11:14 AM
No complaints, it’s the goblin mug I shoulda known I always wanted. Picture his face on they 18 wheeler, no you know what don’t picture it, create a pic of it and put it on here
Chuck420Taylor
Chuck420Taylor - 1/6/2022, 11:15 AM
I always thought he would go back for it to hide part of his face. Idk why just the way the scene was shot was saying 'we haven't seen the last of this mask.'
connorblaze
connorblaze - 1/6/2022, 11:16 AM
The mask grew on me over the years because it’s now iconic, but I’ve also been saying for a long time they should just have dafoe with green facepaint smothered over his face like war paint or ledger’s Joker. Because Dafoe’s face is the green goblin already. And it turns out you dont even need the paint. He was perfect with just the costume and his lunatic face. I fufcking loved him. Wish we got a little more of evil Ock and him fighting Peter together, but the bridge fight was great so its ok.
DarkDetective
DarkDetective - 1/6/2022, 11:19 AM
I love, love the mask and im dissapointed we didnt see more of it. Still, Dafoe was great as always.
billnye69
billnye69 - 1/6/2022, 11:20 AM
The Mask had a better Goblin mask.
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 1/6/2022, 11:31 AM
@billnye69 - dang. You’re 100% right
JFerguson
JFerguson - 1/6/2022, 11:25 AM
Technically Mysterio should be MCU spidey’s greatest foe since he indirectly led to Peter playing with the multiverse and indirectly to all the bad shit that happened to him in NWH.

Mysterio looking up from hell as NWH plays out:
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 1/6/2022, 11:28 AM
People complained about the mas for 20 years, they ditch the mask and they also complain



Anyway, Willem did an amazing job using only his eyes in the Raimi movie, and here he was able to go full Joker.
Both amazing performances.
TheGrayGhost
TheGrayGhost - 1/6/2022, 11:30 AM
Mask was unnecessary. No one would recognize him since no Osborn in that universe, plus Dafoe's expressiveness alone warrants losing the mask.
RegularPoochie
RegularPoochie - 1/6/2022, 2:09 PM
@TheGrayGhost - of course there is an Osborn in that universe too.
MasterMix
MasterMix - 1/7/2022, 2:12 AM
@TheGrayGhost - I think they could've compromised and at least had his skin turn green after the serum didn't work. That way Dafoe could be just as expressive and maintain a Green Goblin look at the same time.
ElricReturns
ElricReturns - 1/6/2022, 11:35 AM


Just gonna... set this.... right here.
Drace24
Drace24 - 1/6/2022, 1:12 PM
@ElricReturns - Eh. Matpat has been slacking for years now.
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