If you’ve spent more than five minutes in the deeper corners of film Twitter or scrolled through a Reddit thread about "distracting" movie moments, you’ve hit the legend. It’s the one about Willem Dafoe’s anatomy being so... let’s say significant... that it actually broke a movie.
People talk about it like it’s an urban legend, but the story is rooted in a very real, very weird intersection of avant-garde New York theater and European "extreme" cinema. Specifically, it involves The Wooster Group, director Lars von Trier, and a 2009 film called Antichrist that left audiences either vomiting or mesmerized. Mostly both.
Basically, the rumor is that Dafoe’s penis was so large it caused "confusion" on set. It sounds like a humble brag from a PR agent, but the details are a lot more nuanced—and honestly, kind of hilarious when you look at how it affected the production.
The "Confusingly Large" Problem in Antichrist
The whole thing blew up because of Lars von Trier. If you know anything about the Danish director, you know he isn't exactly a wallflower. During the press tour for Antichrist, he told the Boston Phoenix that Dafoe had an "enormous" member.
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But it wasn't just a fun fact. Von Trier claimed they actually had to use a body double (or a "stunt penis," if you want to be technical) for the film’s graphic close-ups. Why? Because according to the director, Dafoe’s actual equipment was "too big" and made everyone in the room "very confused."
"We had a stand-in for him because we had to take the scenes out with his own [penis]... because Will's was too big... everybody got very confused when they saw it." — Lars von Trier
It’s a wild mental image. A crew of professional filmmakers standing around a monitor, looking at a shot, and just feeling... baffled? It wasn't that it didn't fit in the frame. It was that it was so prominent it became a distraction from the harrowing, grief-stricken tone of the scene.
The Wooster Group Connection
To understand why Dafoe was even comfortable with this level of exposure, you have to look at his roots. Long before he was the Green Goblin, he was a pillar of The Wooster Group.
This wasn't your local community theater. Based in a Soho garage in New York, the group—led by Dafoe’s longtime partner Elizabeth LeCompte—is famous for "deconstructing" classic plays. They use video monitors, microphones, and aggressive, non-linear performances. Dafoe spent over 20 years there.
In that world, the body is just another prop.
Dafoe has often said that his time with The Wooster Group taught him to treat his body like a tool. If a scene requires nudity, it’s just another costume choice. This fearless, almost clinical approach to performance is exactly what attracted directors like von Trier.
But even for a guy who spent decades doing experimental theater in a sweaty New York garage, the Antichrist situation was a bit much. Dafoe later clarified things in an interview with Dazed Digital. He confirmed they used a porn actor as a double, but his reasoning was more practical: he didn't want the movie to become a "Did they really do it?" tabloid story. He wanted the focus on the art.
The "Stunt Penis" Identity
The legend actually has a name attached to it now. For years, people wondered who the "normal-sized" guy was that had to step in. It turns out the double was a German man named Horst Stramka.
Stramka has since talked about the experience, mentioning that the crew seemed fascinated by him—not necessarily because of his size, but because of the weirdness of the job. He even met Dafoe on set. His take? Dafoe was a "nice guy" who didn't actually think he needed a double.
It seems the decision came more from the production side and Dafoe’s management. They knew that if Dafoe went "full frontal" in a way that lived up to the rumors, the film’s message about nature, grief, and chaos would be buried under a mountain of "Willem Dafoe is packin'" headlines.
It Happened on Scorsese’s Set Too?
Believe it or not, Antichrist wasn't the first time this was an issue. During the filming of Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988, there was a similar "wardrobe malfunction."
Dafoe was being filmed on the cross—totally nude, as was historically accurate for Roman crucifixions. Because of the way he had to hang, things kept... well, slipping out.
Dafoe told a story during an IMDb interview about how the macho Roman stuntmen on set were too intimidated or "weirded out" to help him fix it. Eventually, a "very sweet guy" from the costume department had to climb a ladder and "tuck things back in" so they could get the shot.
Why We Are Still Talking About This
Honestly, it’s because it’s a perfect "weird Hollywood" story. It combines a highly respected actor, a controversial director, and a bizarre physical "problem" that most people wouldn't consider a problem at all.
But for Dafoe, it’s just part of the job. He’s always been an actor who pushes boundaries. Whether he’s playing a martyr, a villain, or a grieving husband, he brings a physical intensity that most actors can't match.
Key Takeaways for the Curious:
- The Rumor is Real-ish: Lars von Trier did officially state that Dafoe’s size was "confusing" and required a double for Antichrist.
- The Wooster Group Factor: Dafoe’s background in experimental theater made him uniquely comfortable with the film’s extreme demands.
- The Double: Horst Stramka is the man whose anatomy you actually see in the most graphic Antichrist scenes.
- The Motivation: The switch wasn't just about "confusion"; it was a strategic move to prevent the actor’s physical attributes from overshadowing the film’s narrative.
If you're looking to see Dafoe’s actual range—not just the tabloid stuff—go back and watch some archival footage of The Wooster Group performances like L.S.D. (...Just the High Points...) or Route 1 & 9. It’s where you’ll see the foundation of the most fearless actor in modern cinema.
Next, you might want to look into the production history of Antichrist to see how they handled the other "unsimulated" elements of the film, or perhaps check out the documentary The Wooster Group Video Collection to see a younger Dafoe in his experimental prime.