Conversations with Willem Dafoe of MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN

A Q&A with Willem Dafoe of MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN. Moderated by Joe Neumaier.

Set in 1950s New York, “Motherless Brooklyn” follows Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton), a lonely private detective living with Tourette Syndrome, as he ventures to solve the murder of his mentor, Frank Minna (Bruce Willis). Armed only with a few clues and the engine of his obsessive mind, Lionel unravels closely-guarded secrets that hold the fate of the whole city. In a mystery that carries him from jazz clubs in Harlem to the slums of Brooklyn and into the halls of New York’s power brokers, Lionel contends with thugs, corruption and the most dangerous man in the city to honor his friend and save the woman who might be his own salvation.

Written, directed and produced by Edward Norton, “Motherless Brooklyn” also stars Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bobby Cannavale, Cherry Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams, Leslie Mann, Ethan Suplee, Dallas Roberts, Josh Pais, Robert Ray Wisdom, Fisher Stevens, with Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe.