The role of Count Orlok in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu aims to become one of the defining roles of Bill Skarsgård’s career, who has already proven his abilities in It and, paradoxically, the failed The Crow. However, initially, the actor was not supposed to play the lead role. It must be said that Eggers seems to have had completely different plans for casting, including his thoughts on who should ultimately get the role of the terrifying vampire — and according to Eggers’ vision, the role was supposed to go to someone who already played Count Orlok in the 2000 film.
Shadow of the vampire could have brought Willem Dafoe another vampire role — but instead, it brought him a different one
Few people probably know this, but Willem Dafoe, who played Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz in Eggers’ Nosferatu, is familiar with the image of Count Orlok firsthand — the actor transformed into him for the 2000 film Shadow of the Vampire. Considering Dafoe’s existing experience and clear understanding of the character, it’s unsurprising that Eggers initially considered him for the lead role. However, he later chose Bill Skarsgård, who, in turn, auditioned for the role of Thomas Hutter (which was eventually played by Nicholas Hoult).
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Other famous candidates were considered for the role of count Orlok — and they would have fit the role perfectly
Skarsgård revealed this in an interview with the Swedish publication Moviezine — according to the actor, during the early stages of the film’s development, Eggers wanted to offer the role to Daniel Day-Lewis or Mads Mikkelsen. Both actors, although they did not end up in the project, still would have fit perfectly — after all, Mikkelsen has long been known for his “villainous” roles, and Day-Lewis once auditioned for the role of Lestat in Interview with the Vampire before the role ultimately went to Tom Cruise.
Willem Dafoe’s Shadow of the Vampire became a unique rethinking of the classic vampire story.
