Hollywood actor Willem Dafoe arrived in Tasmania on Wednesday (September 28) and heaped praise on the island state’s beautiful wilderness ahead of the local premiere of his film The Hunter.

A crowd of about 200 waited outside the State Cinema in North Hobart for Dafoe to arrive, with the Spiderman star talking to fans, signing autographs and discussing the “wonderful time” he had during production of the movie in Tasmania.

“Once we got out filming in the wild it was thrilling for me, because it’s not a landscape I know and where we were was quite pristine – very beautiful,” Dafoe told The Mercury.

“People were very supportive and I think the film shows some very beautiful landscape – and people will really want to visit.”

The Hunter was shot in various parts of the state last year, including Hobart’s rugged Mount Wellington and the Central Plateau.

With a successful release at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, it has since secured sales in a host of countries such as the US and the UK.

If the film continues to reach a wide global audience, it has the potential to draw further attention to the spectacular and diverse Tasmanian landscape.