History lied about Vincent Van Gogh, says Willem Dafoe

London: Actor Willem Dafoe, who plays acclaimed artist Vincent van Gogh in "At Eternity's Gate", says the character came across a more hopeful person, contrary to what has been written about him in the history.

The 63-year-old actor portrays the 19th century Dutch Post-Impressionist painter in the Julian Schnabel's feature and like most of the people, he also considered the artist a "tortured soul".

"He felt like he was painting in a new way. One of the things that changed for me in making this movie was the joyous part of him that we don't see. He's usually depicted as the poster boy for the tortured artists, but I would definitely say he's a hopeful character. History lies!" he told The Guardian in an interview.

The "Florida Project" actor believes flexibility is an essentiality for an artiste to explore different realms of art.

"Flexibility is important for an actor. Otherwise, corruption sets in. You get stuck in certain patterns, and a certain kind of performing language that keeps you from a kind of sense of discovery or danger or mystery," he added.

The film, which also features Oscar Isaac, Mathieu Amalric and Mads Mikkelsen, released in the US on November 16.