Defoe has written an introduction for the book publication of the screenplay for the film Lighthouse by Robert Eggers and A24 Studios. In it, the actor reveals that he and Robert Pattinson were black and white on set, in keeping with the visuals of the film, and although they make an amazing duo, they are very different actors,” Defoe concludes.
In “The Lighthouse,” Defoe and Pattinson play two lighthouse keepers on a remote island. Throughout the black-and-white film, the duo are plunged into surreal madness on the rocky shore of a raging sea. Pattinson previously told Esquire that the rehearsal process was “very, very frustrating” and he was “very angry” at writer-director Eggers in preparation for filming.
Defoe, on the contrary, writes that he enjoys rehearsing, especially for such complex dramatic films “with character”.
It’s like training an athlete. You create the basic choreography and physical actions, so when you’re filming you feel confident in the dance you’ve learnt, and all your senses can listen and feel things that can’t be calculated until you’re in the room, in that moment, in front of the camera. You can deviate from the dance, but without that practised discipline and structure it is easy to lose tension or form.
