Spider-Man legend Willem Dafoe has let fans 'mispronounce' his name 'for 40 years'

Jess FlahertySat, August 22, 2026 at 2:33 PM UTC

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Willem Dafoe speaking at a ceremony honoring Angélique Kidjo with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 18, 2026 in Hollywood, California -Credit:Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Movie star Willem Dafoe has purposefully let fans "mispronounce" his name "for 40 years", and the "correct" way to say it has only just come to light after an old video emerged from his acting school days. In the video dating back to the 1970s, the Hollywood actor, 71, can be heard pronouncing his name differently than the way it's typically said to this day.

Willem has earned a stellar reputation over his decades in the industry thanks to his versatile acting chops, captivating audiences across an impressive variety of movies. His portrayal of Norman Osborn, and his villainous alter-ego, the Green Goblin, in Sam Raimi's 2002 superhero blockbuster Spider-Man remains celebrated even today.

The actor even returned to the character almost two decades later in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, which also featured former Spider-Man stars Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield alongside current lead, Tom Holland.

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Willem has similarly earned praise from reviewers and cinema lovers for his first-rate performances in movies including 1986's sweeping war epic Platoon, 2017's moving drama The Florida Project, 2019's intense, psychological horror The Lighthouse, and numerous others. But, despite his celebrity status and extensive filmography, his name remains something many might be getting wrong.

A video of Willem in conversation with TV host and comedian Conan O'Brien was recently posted on Facebook. During the exchange, Conan admits to the actor he's "embarrassed" because he's interacted with him many times over the years and has always pronounced his last name "da-foe", as most people do.

Conan goes on: "And then I saw this old tape, and I believe the year is, I think it's 1975... and it's a tape of you as a young acting student, and you're saying your last name. And take a look."

The presenter then shows footage of the performer on stage during the 70s, in which he says his first name as "William" and his last name as "day-foe" rather than "daff-oh" as it's typically pronounced. When the footage ends, the camera returns to Willem and Conan in the studio, with the actor laughing alongside the audience while the presenter appears stunned.

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Conan then says: "You've let everyone mispronounce your name for like 40 years. We've all been saying 'daff-oh' and you've been just sitting there going like, 'well, I won't say anything'."

Willem simply responds: "Let's keep it that way - I was a confused kid." Conan jokes: "You were a kid? Oh, so you were wrong."

Willem then explains: "I was wrong. Half of my family pronounced it 'day-foe', the other half pronounced it 'daff-oh' but I found that, like, when you'd go to the dentist or something, you'd check in and say, William 'day-foe', they'd say, 'okay, Dave'."

Conan responds: "Oh, okay. So you had to get rid of that." Willem answers: "'Daff-oh' flowed better. And in the end, when I became an actor, it's nicer sounding."

Conan agrees "daff-oh" sounds superior, and Willem praises the presenter for "exposing" the reality behind his name - although the duo don't address the pronunciation of his first name. Willem was born William James Dafoe, though is most widely recognized by the name "Willem".

Social media users were quick to weigh in on the matter in the Facebook comments section. One user simply said: "That's comical!" Another shared: "He also said William instead of Willem."

A third commented: "Forget his last name, all this time I thought his first name was William..." While a fourth user added: "We have a road name here that is pronounced the way he said his name. And of course spelled the same."

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”