Among all of Hollywood’s greats, Willem Dafoe is easily one of the most unique looking character actors. It was not his face, however, that got him into ‘hot water’ while filming Lars von Trier’s Antichrist in 2009… it was another part of his anatomy altogether that made things hella awkward on set.
For a scene in the movie, Dafoe had to strip down to his Adam’s costume. He did so willingly and without a care in the world — Dafoe is a true professional, after all. Lars von Trier, however, was… disturbed. Because his leading man had an absolutely enormous dong. Von Trier famously described the man’s package as: “Confusingly large.” The Danish director felt audiences would be too distracted by Dafoe’s gigantic penis to the point where they might not be able to enjoy or focus on the story any more.
So Lars von Trier had to get a body-double to do Dafoe’s nude scene for him. Because his genitals were ‘too big’. A first in cinematic history and no doubt a highly uncomfortable thing for the director to have to explain…