Goblin Guy
~by Ian Spelling
So what is it about the Green Goblin -- that grinning guy with the green face -- that called out and beckoned Willem Dafoe to play him in Spider-Man?
"Well, it's complicated," explains the Oscar-nominated star of Shadow of the Vampire and Platoon. "You've got to remember that, yeah, you have the comic book, and yeah, you have the script, but so much had to be developed [to make it into a feature film]. For example, the costume, the Green Goblin's whole way of being and even the script to some degree evolved during the process of making this movie.
"So, while you don't know exactly what [the final product will turn out to be], you do know some of the people involved in it. And you know when you have a good script to start out with, and when there are certain elements in a character that appeal to you. The fact that Norman Osborn is a double role, that there's this sort of Jekyll-and-Hyde dynamic there, appealed to me. Also, Sam Raimi seemed like a good guy to direct this movie. When I talked to him, it was very clear that he was into the psychology and the personal dynamics of these characters -- and not just the action stuff -- so I knew it was going to be interesting to see how he integrated the two. I still have yet to see the film, to tell you the truth, but I suspect that he did it pretty well."
As fans of the legendary comic book character know, the Green Goblin represents the villainous side of businessman Norman Osborn, played by Dafoe in the film. Osborn is figuratively a father to Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), and literally the father of Peter's best friend, Harry (James Franco). But Norman doesn't know that Peter is really the Green Goblin's web-slinging arch-nemesis Spider-Man, and Peter doesn't realize that Norman is actually the man behind the Green Goblin.
"There's an interesting triange there," Willem Dafoe observes. "Norman sort of passes over his own son, neglects him, in favor of Peter, because he identifies so much more closely and deeply with Peter. They have more in common. So that adds extra tension when they're in their superhero and supervillain modes. That isn't lost, and it adds resonance to their conflict. It's almost as if the Goblin acts out of being rejected by Peter, because the Goblin really wants Spider-Man to join him. That's sort of a standard storyline in these kinds of tales, but this one has an extra spin to it because you know about their relationship in their Peter Parker and Norman Osborn forms."
fin
source: Starlog Movie Magic Presents Spider-Man and Other Comics Heroes, July 2002
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