“The movies I’m making demand a lot”: We Owe an Apology to Lily-Rose Depp After What ‘Nosferatu’ Director Has Revealed

SUMMARY

• Robert Eggers' remake of Nosferatu released on Christmas weekend and is going strong at the box office.
• The film stars Lily-Rose Depp, who was last seen in HBO's The Idol, which received intense criticism and was canceled after one season.
• However, Depp's dedication and craft during Nosferatu and Eggers' endorsement is sure to change people's minds about the actress.

Lily-Rose Depp stars as Ellen Hutter in the recently released horror film Nosferatu. The actress has received praise for her performance in Robert Eggers’ remake, which also stars Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, and more. It was released on Christmas Day and has reportedly been faring well at the box office.

Lily-Rose Depp received significant criticism for her previous role as pop star Jocelyn in the HBO series The Idol. The depiction of s*x and the relationship shared between The Weeknd’s Tedros and Depp’s character was criticized by many. However, the actress’ dedication to Nosferatu has been vouched for by director Eggers.

Robert Eggers praises Lily-Rose Depp’s dedication to her role in Nosferatu

Lily-Rose Depp in The Idol | Credits: HBO

Lily-Rose Depp has had an interesting career so far. Making her film debut with Kevin Smith’s Tusk, the daughter of Johnny Depp gained notoriety for her role as Jocelyn in The Idol. The HBO series was controversial for its depiction of trauma, disturbing s*x scenes, and the creative direction of Sam Levinson and executive producer Abel Tesfaye a.k.a The Weeknd.

After the controversial debacle of the series, which was canceled after a five-episode first season, Lily-Rose Depp was not seen on screen until this year’s Nosferatu. Directed by Robert Eggers, who previously made The Lighthouse, The Witch, and The Northman, the horror remake saw Depp play Ellen Hutter, the woman pursued by Count Orlok, the vampire.

A still from Nosferatu | Credits: Focus Features/Universal Pictures

The film has received positive responses from critics and fans alike, with Depp’s performance being appreciated. Eggers too vouched for Lily-Rose Depp, saying that they prepped intensely for the audition itself, even though he was sure of her when they met. He told Variety,

I can talk about how great Lily is all day, but when I’m auditioning actors, I want to see people making strong choices and going for it. The movies I’m making demand a lot, so I want to see that you’re hungry enough to go for it.

The actress reportedly had to perform a monologue and an intense scene for her audition and she reportedly went all out in her performance.

Lily-Rose Depp proved her The Idol critics wrong with Nosferatu

Lily-Rose Depp in Nosferatu | Credits: Focus Features/Universal Pictures

In Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, Lily-Rose Depp has one of the most intense roles of all. Her character, Ellen, becomes the object of desire for the titular vampire a.k.a Count Orlok despite her being his real estate agent Thomas Hutter’s (Nicholas Hoult) wife. The vampire’s pursuit of Ellen brings a plague to the town they live in.

While the premise is intense as it is, Lily-Rose Depp’s character has a lot of dimensions to her. Ellen is strangely attracted to Count Orlok and the film explores female sexuality and its shaming back in the Victorian era. As Orlok’s influence over her strengthens, there are many physical changes and movements within Ellen that Depp has to portray.

According to Deadline, Eggers and Depp worked with choreographer Marie-Gabrielle Rotie, who specialized in the Japanese butoh style of dance for the physical contortions and movements that Depp had to do for her eventual breakdown. Eggers also mentioned that Depp had brought him and his crew to tears when she performed during the audition.

Nosferatu is currently playing in cinemas.

Written by Nishanth A

Articles Published: 1683

Nishanth A is a Media, English and Psychology graduate from Bangalore. He is an avid DC fanboy and loves the films of Christopher Nolan. He has published over 1,000 articles on FandomWire. When he's not fixating on the entire filmography of a director, he tries to write and direct films.