International correspondent

Willem Dafoe is wearing two hats at the Venice Film Festival: He's one of the stars starring in the festival's opening film, Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." But he's also hard at work as the newly appointed artistic director of the theater section of the Venice Biennale, the festival's multidisciplinary parent organization.

Dafoe spoke to Variety about how he approaches the challenge.

How did your appointment as artistic director of the Biennale’s theatre department come about? I understand you received a phone call from Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco.