Veteran American star Willem Dafoe has been handed an honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement in Berlin. Willem Dafoe has been handed an honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement at the Berlin Film Festival.

The 62-year-old actor – whose hits include ‘Platoon’, ‘The English Patient’ and ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ – has worked with a diverse range of filmmakers during his 40-year career, and Willem says he’s relished all of the different challenges that have come his way.

He shared: “Part of being an actor is not having a preference. You love what you’re doing and commit. I don’t try to compare, it’s too depressing. “If you have favourites then you try to repeat … Yes, some are more dear to me, but I’d be loath to name them.” Despite this, Willem revealed that he is particularly fond of working with “personal filmmakers”, citing von Trier as an example.

The acclaimed actor – who worked with the director on ‘Manderlay’, ‘Antichrist’ and ‘Nymphomaniac Vol II’ – told Deadline: “Lars has got a beautiful command of what is cinematic. He’s one of the greats. I hope to work with him again. The experiences I had with him, I really enjoyed him. “He’s a good example of someone who is passionate and has a command and is fun to be around.”

In recent years, some of Hollywood’s best-known actors and directors have focused their energy on TV work. But Willem has insisted he’s not interested in following suit, because he’s not “attracted naturally to television”.

He confessed: “I really think there’s a difference between television and cinema. Lately, a lot of energy and resources are going to television. It sits in the culture in a more popular way than film. “But I still find many opportunities in film and I think film has a special power TV almost never has to create a mystery and poetry. I’m more narrative obsessed.”