Biographie

Low-key, yet gravelly voice

Psychotic unstable characters

Characters that often meet a grim fate

Prominent cheekbones and serpentine smile

Deeply lined face that can be contorted to frightening effect

He was a candidate for the role of the Joker in Batman (1989), which went to Jack Nicholson.

Says he feels like he has missed out on more conventional roles because he's perceived as an eccentric actor in dark little films, kind of the boy-next-door type - if you lived next door to a mausoleum.

He was delirious for 24 hours after coming down with yellow fever on the set of Platoon (1986).

He had done most of his own stunts on the glider in Spider-Man (2002). So when you see the Green Goblin moving around on it, when it's not CG, then it's Willem pretty much the whole time.

His first name, William, is shared with his father. He did not want to be called William Jr. or Billy, and among various nicknames since childhood, was Willem, which he liked, and has kept this name ever since.

[on his role in La Dernière Tentation du Christ (1988)]: "To this day, I can't believe I was so brazen to think I could pull off the Jesus role."

I don't think people want to see me as a regular guy, besides, I'm a regular guy in real life. I guess I just want to be reckless in my work.

Casting people feel that they have to get someone who looks a certain way, and I think that the jury is still out whether people find me attractive or not.

I wish to Christ I could make up a really great lie. Sometimes, after an interview, I say to myself, 'Man, you were so honest - can't you have some fun? Can't you do some really down and dirty lying?' But the puritan in me thinks that if I tell a lie, I'll be punished.

Weirdness is not my game. I'm just a square boy from Wisconsin.