Willem Dafoe hallucination. The cameo was suggested by Dafoe, comparing it to the ghost of Hamlet's father visiting his son to ask him to avenge his death. Dafoe was next seen in the comedy-drama "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004), his first of three films with director Wes Anderson. He played the "hilariously doltish" German first mate of a research vessel owned by the eponymous lead character, who is played by Bill Murray. Dafoe then had a small role as a tabloid magazine editor in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" (2004), a biographical film about Howard Hughes starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Also in
Wes Anderson critical reception of "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou", proclaiming themselves to be fans of "World Cinema" and of Anderson in particular. They offered Anderson their soundtrack services for his "The Darjeeling Limited", including lyrics for a title track. "The Darjeeling Limited" (2007) was about three emotionally distant brothers traveling together on a train in India. It reflected the more dramatic tone of "The Royal Tenenbaums" but faced criticisms similar to "The Life Aquatic". Anderson has acknowledged that he went to India to film the movie partly as a tribute to Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray, whose "films have also inspired