Willem Dafoe Portrays Forgotten Poet Rediscovering Life in Manhattan-Set Drama

Willem Dafoe plays Ed Saxberger, a former poet turned postal worker whose quiet life transforms when he encounters a young idealistic artist collective in Manhattan. The feature film, titled Late Fame, represents director Kent Jones's second feature and adapts an 1895 Arthur Schnitzler story into a contemporary New York setting. The narrative explores themes of artistic ambition, aging, belonging, and the tension between youthful idealism and lived experience.

The Story and Cast

Saxberger published a minor poetry collection in 1979 before abandoning his artistic pursuits entirely. Decades later, he maintains a solitary existence punctuated by casual gatherings at a neighborhood bar with other aging men. This equilibrium shatters when Meyers (Edmund Donovan), a young poet representing an experimental artists group called The Enthusiasm Society, discovers Saxberger and invites him to join their circle. The collective, composed primarily of younger members along with an enigmatic actress named Gloria (Greta Lee), believes art can transform the world. Meyers connects Saxberger with a literary agent (Jake Lacy), reigniting the poet's creative impulses and forcing him to reconsider his identity and place in the world.

Personal Connections to Literary Traditions

Jones dedicated Late Fame to Peter Gizzi, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and accomplished poet whom Jones describes as "one of the greatest poets in America." The connection between filmmaker and subject runs deep—Gizzi appears in a small role during a cafe confrontation scene in the film, reading quietly in the background. The two have maintained a friendship spanning five decades since growing up together in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. This personal relationship mirrors Jones's filmmaking approach, which frequently explores how his regional upbringing shapes character and narrative.

Jones's previous feature, Diane, starred Mary Kay Place and drew inspiration from women in his Pittsfield community, particularly his mother. That film examined how obligation and caregiving defined his local world. While Late Fame began with a foreign literary source rather than direct biographical inspiration, the adaptation by screenwriter Samy Burch deliberately shifted the original story's sharp-edged tone toward warmth and compassion—qualities reflecting Jones's artistic sensibility.

Casting and Performance Foundation

Donovan, a native of Wellesley, Massachusetts, based his portrayal of Meyers on eccentric and idealistic theater figures he encountered during his time at Boston University and subsequent work in the New York theater scene. He and his classmates formed their own theater company after migrating from Boston to New York, providing lived experience with the artistic communities his character represents.