The Green Goblin. Bobby Peru. Nosferatu (sort of). Jesus Christ. Willem Dafoe has played his share of icons -- and after nearly three decades in the movie business he himself has become emblematic of the actor as committed chameleon, versatile, dedicated and always convincing. If Dafoe is best known for portraying scenery-chewing villains, that’s because his intense, impish persona makes his heavies so memorable -- not because he hasn’t played his share of nice guys. (His breakout role was the kind-hearted Sgt. Elias in Oliver Stone’s Platoon, for which he received the first of two Oscar nominations. And then there was that martyr guy.) Whether playing the bad, the good or the crazy, Dafoe’s characters have little more in common than searing intensity and an endearing gap between their two front teeth.

For years, actor Willem Dafoe has captivated audiences with roles that push the boundaries of the craft. In Anamorph, the chameleon continues. Here, he spills his guts over everything.

“Oh, the script girl. I'll eat her later.” It’s a perfect moment. With that one delicious line from Shadow of the Vampire, Willem Dafoe bares his camp fangs, and, immediately, we're at his mercy. The words are ridiculous, deliberately so. But as they spill from Dafoe’s crimson mouth, they are somehow elevated, not into the sacred, exactly, but far from the profane.

And this has always been his secret weapon. Throughout what has become a breathtaking career, the 52-year-old, two-time Academy Award nominee has managed to imbue even the most cartoonish of characters with cerebral depth. To wit: In Anamorph, a neo-noir inspired by the French policier genre, Dafoe plays a troubled cop trying to solve a series of murders based on the concept of anamorphosis. As one would expect, it’s a heady brew of introspection, epiphany, and J. Alfred Prufrock impotence. Below, Dafoe takes us on a trip to the dark side.