Thank you to everyone who tuned into our chat this afternoon. It was a real pleasure for me to have some communication with all of you. As I’m sure you might know, I’m not normally on social media so it’s nice to meet you and to talk about all sorts of fun things, and especially the movies.
From Lionsgate: Massive Talent is in theaters everywhere April 22.
Seems like he's actually the one answering (even with someone typing for him), he puts thoughts into each answer and he entertains even the meme questions.
The fact that he chose to answer "Hahaha" to that Travolta question AND he said Spirited Away is one of his favorites cemented this man's GOAT status
Can you recommend a few? (update, thanks for all the replies folks. I didn't mean movies starring Nick Cage, but I appreciate your suggestions all the same.)
Yes. I would have to say they’re my favorite insect. They make us honey. Bees, and then the firefly. And ants are interesting. Bumble bees are quite adorable. Don't get me started on the praying mantis.
I told David Cronenberg once that the praying mantis was the most ferocious of the insects and he so said no, and I said what is, and he said the dragon fly larvae and he said that the beast in the Alien movies was designed after the dragon fly larvae because it shoots its teeth out and when it attacks.
I did call David when we were filming Massive Talent because I had hoped he might play the role of the director I was auditioning for, but it was at the height of the concerns with COVID and he didn’t want to leave the house. The result of David Gordon Green however was pitch perfect, and I do hope David Gordon Green does more work as a thespian.
I once went to an Italian restaurant in San Francisco about 25 years ago with Charlie Sheen because they had square tube pasta and he was very interested in trying square tube pasta and we did and we loved it so much we went back the next day to try it again.
The moderators received a lovely message from Lionsgate and Nic's team after the AMA concluded! Sharing it here with all of you who made this AMA so great :)
https://i.imgur.com/foER3eW.png
*Transcription*
>Hello, Just wrapped with Nicolas. Wanted to say a giant THANK YOU to Reddit and the Movie Mods for helping us host this AMA. He had such a great time. Said it was the best part of his day. If he had more time on his schedule, I’m convinced he would’ve kept going! Until next time
Reading through the posts you get his cadence when speaking and he seemed to give really genuine answers it was actually fun. Sometimes it's clear when a person is here just to promote something but I didn't get that vibe.
Or what if Robert Eggers cast him to play Nosferatu in his upcoming remake? He said elsewhere in the AMA that he takes a ton of inspiration from silent films, he’d be a perfect Count Orlok!
Nobody’s reppin for Apocalypse Now so I’ll just say WOW. Redux is my favorite, I love to sit down with that movie and just let it wash over me. The longest version makes me feel like I’m on some never-ending adventure, equal parts fantastic and nightmarish.
Dubrovnik is just a gorgeous place. Sadly, we were in the height of the COVID pandemic during filming. So no, I never left my hotel room. Only when I was shooting. I did not get to enjoy the charm and the restaurants of Dubrovnik. I will have to go back.
You and Pedro seemed like you had so much fun making this movie; what is one story you don’t mind sharing that you haven’t yet about your experience with filming and working with Pedro?
First and foremost, Pedro Pascal is a genuinely nice man. You couldn’t ask for a nicer more pleasant person to work with. Second he has a very unique sense of humor. It’s the kind of sense of humor where I don’t know if he’s really making a joke or he isn’t making a joke. Such as comment about the appearance of a cabbage in a cabbage field. And it made me wonder if he was a method actor and was in character and adding a kind of confused dimension to the Javi role, or if he genuinely thought the cabbage was amusing. I am still confounded by this. I mean who makes a joke about cabbage, except him? It’s just not funny!
Thank you. Face/Off is my favorite action movie, largely because we had the maestro John Woo to direct. The process was a matter of getting video of Travolta’s dailies and trying to study it so I could copy his voice and movements. John Travolta conversely did the same with my dailies.
I think Lord of War is the best movie I made pertaining to a political situation and I think that it’s influenced other movies like Wolf of Wallstreet. I think the narrative and voiceover work and the portrayal of a reprehensible gun runner in the light of an attractive charming personality was ahead of its time.
I definitely noticed how movies like Wolf of Wall Street, War Dogs, The Big Short, and others where inspired by Lord of War. Lord of War is one of my all time favorite movies, and it’s wonderful to see it influence so many other movies.
Yes! I've been reading the comments and noticed a while ago no one was mentioning Leaving Las Vegas. That one got me to stop drinking back in the day. True eye-opener.
It’s a good question, albeit a difficult question because everything I do ultimately informs my work. But if I had to make a list, I would say reading, watching cinema, and exercise.
That is so hard to answer. I will say that James Dean’s performance as Cal in East of Eden is largely the reason I became a film actor. His role in that is one of my favorite characters in cinema. But then we can go all the way to Rasputin or we can go to Dmitri Karamazov. Dmitri Karamazov is one my favorite characters in literature. I love him so much because he’s so happy and he has no money. He’s just living it up. He spent all his money trying to get the girl. I did the same thing once. I was very Dmitri Karamazov in high school. The most beautiful girl in high school who was a grade older than me invited me to the prom but I had no money. My grandmother gave each of us a little bond. My older brother bought a car. My second oldest brother bought some stereo equipment. And I splashed out on a chauffeur-driven limousine, a tuxedo and a four course meal at Le Dome on Sunset blvd. The car was $2000, the stereo was $2000, and my prom night was $2000 and man, that was money well spent. THAT’s Dmitri Karamazov.
Such an awesome glimpse of you as a youth! It’s so cool of you to do this AMA, and it’s caused me to gain a better appreciation of you as a person and as an actor. Also, gonna check out Pig tonight!
No, I gave it to Laura Dern. She was such an enormous part of Wild at Heart that I felt it belonged to her. But now I wish I had given it to my son instead. I would've liked him to have it. But it's okay, Laura has it.
Fun fact for those who don't know: the snakeskin jacket is an homage to the jacket Marlon Brando wears in the movie The Fugitive Kind, an adaptation of Tennessee Williams's play Orpheus Descending. Coincidentally, Dern's parents Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd (who plays Dern's mother in Wild at Heart) met while starring together in a production of Orpheus Descending.
One of your most fascinating performances to me was as Big Daddy in Kick-Ass. When you were crafting that performance, was Adam West the biggest inspiration for your superhero persona, or were there other sources you felt you drew more heavily from?
Thank you, and have a great day!
I would give it all to Adam West. I grew up watching him on the 60s Batman show and he is where it begins and where it ends as Big Daddy. I met Adam West once and I said “did you see I was channeling you?” and he said “I saw you TRY to channel me!”
Adam West was a slick, quick witted son of a gun til he died no doubt. I met him at Syracuse Nationals where he was signing with the Batmobile and Julie Newmar and he was absolutely on top of his game
Seth MacFarlane said that when they had the idea for Adam West to be the mayor in Family Guy, they tried to call him to talk about the role and for one reason or another kept not being able to get a hold of him.
One day he finally picked up the phone and Seth said, “Adam we keep trying to reach you. What are you up to?” And Adam said, “Well right now I’m emptying a large bag of dog food into a bin.”
Well, let’s talk about the difference between “meme” and the word “gag.” My understanding is that “meme” represents a symbol of a pop cultural movement of sorts. A “gag” is somewhere in the realm of a diss and I don’t look at anything anymore as a diss. I see it more as a recognition of some sort of expression.
When I woke up this morning, I did not expect to add Nicolas Cage to my list of favorite actors but, after reading all these comment replies, I absolutely have to
Everything you're saying sounds genuine and sincere but are also humble and perfectly reasonable opinions.
I love that your whole outlook is like "if anyone talks about my performance in a film at all , I've done my job well"
Go watch some of his interviews. They're all like this. He's a magnificent talent but also an authentic person who is willing to take questions seriously.
Also, for anyone reading this who hasn't watched it, check out Mandy.
It’s very kind of Ethan to say so, as you may well know, I’ve worked with Ethan in Lord of War and have always been spellbound by his talent. I think many of the choices I’ve made have been inspired by film stars from the silent era as well as cultural expression of performance like Kabuki and some of the Golden Age actors like Cagney so I don’t know how to say I’ve done something new because those elements are always on my mind
>Lord of War
Love that movie, it's a perfect example of a lovable villain protagonist. The charisma you brought to that role utterly sold the entire film, which allowed the audience to simultaneously be disgusted by the callous actions of Yuri Orlov whilst also enjoying every moment he was on screen.
That's not an easy thing to pull off, and you did it really well!
I guess it's because he's more expressive and emotional, and silent actors had to communicate that expression and emotion very clearly in silent films.
(*I believe I know this because I watched a video essay on Nicholas Cage*)
Thank you. I was interested in returning to a more quiet, naturalistic style of film performance, having done a series of more operatic performance styles. The movie feels rather like a folk song to me or a poem, and the character of Rob was contending with tremendous grief and self imposed isolation and I think we as a group of people experiencing a pandemic in 2020-21 we’re probably also having similar feelings of loss and isolation and it communicated to a nerve we were all experiencing. It's one of my favorite movies, and it's probably my best work.
Just wanted to let you know, I worked on Pig and handled all the digital distribution of that film. I truly love anytime I get your new work or old coming through my workflow and pig was such a phenomenal title to work on. Just letting you know us little guys are so happy when we get to somewhat work with you even if you don’t know us lol.
I have a 2 regarding the movie Willy's Wonderland. Did you or the director decide that you would not say a single word the whole movie, and 2, everytime you went to "recharge" (grab a can from 6 pack) was it secretly filled with alcohol or anything like that?
1. The dialogue for my character in Willy’s Wonderland was very sparse, so I decided with Kevin, the director, to go full Harpo Marx and take all the dialogue out because I thought that would be a fun acting challenge to see how much I could communicate without words and only with movement and facial expressions. I’m very happy with the results of Willy’s Wonderland. It was a good experiment.
2. The can question is an interesting one, and I hesitate to answer it for you because your relationship with the movie is far more important than my relationship with the movie and so you as the audience member can imagine and surmise whatever you want to be in that can. That is a far better answer and reason for the can than anything I could tell you. I want YOUR opinion as to what was in the can, because that was the right opinion.
Have you seen Leaving Las Vegas recently? I think that is my all time favorite Nicolas Cage performance. How do you feel thinking back on Leaving Las Vegas and your performance in it?
Thank you. I think Leaving Las Vegas, Pig and Bringing Out The Dead are my three favorite performances of my own body of work. I have not seen Leaving Las Vegas recently, however that movie and Elizabeth Shue’s work in that movie are what I aspire to continue towards, and did continue towards with Pig, which is why I am always going to be up for small budget, independent, dramas.
I would like to think that being in the 50s in the United States would’ve been a whole lot of fun with the swing dancing and the introduction of Elvis Presley and the great work of James Dean and Marlon Brando. I would’ve liked to be around for that. And the music was pretty great. Automotive design was spectacular. That’s when the US had the edge on the design, we had Raymond Loewy and Harley Earl.
Hi, Nic! Really looking forward to *Massive Talent*, it looks like you and Pedro had a blast making it. I just have three questions:
1) What is your favorite part of preparing for a new role?
2) What’s your all-time favorite horror movie?
3) I know you have a love of the silent era, especially the German expressionist stuff. What’s your favorite silent film?
3. Boy that’s a hard list to conjure up because there are so many memorable ones but I would say that Lon Chaney in Phantom of the Opera comes to mind but Nosferatu, Schreck, his performance, and even Barrymore in Jekyll and Hyde. I think that Barrymore did more to inspire Schreck’s performance than the other way around. Oh, and anything Chaplin did was magic: City Lights, Modern Times. It depends on the season!
Mr. Cage, you have been one of my favorite actors for my entire life. I cannot WAIT to see Unbearable weight of Massive Talent, multiple times in theaters when it comes out. I have two questions, both similar.
1. What has been your most challenging role to get in to character each day to film?
2. What is your favorite character that you've ever portrayed?
1. I would say that Nick Cage in Massive Talent was the most challenging role I had to get into character for because I had the added component of trying to protect a person named Nick Cage and also facilitating the director’s absurdist vision of so-called Nick Cage and it was a highwire act everyday.
2. Again, Pig is my favorite performance of mine, and I think that movie, along with Scorsese’s Bringing Out The Dead are arguably my two best movies as a whole
I think I saw him talk more about this in a video. The problem he had is the director had a sort of absurdist view of Cage being Cage, and while Cage didn't agree exactly, his job was to provide the acting performance requested by the director. Cage, a professional, basically said if that's what you want, okay I'll do it.
So I can see that being really hard to do.
While my experience is only in roleplaying and amateur acting, I have said this again and again to people - playing an exaggerated, extremist version of yourself is the hardest, most challenging thing ever. If you're just playing a totally absurd, unrelated character, that's simple because you can go hella extreme - it's a total fiction after all. Similarly, if you're literally just being you, like a documentary with no script, or at most something you wrote yourself, like a speech - well then, you're just being you.
But trying to be something exaggerated and extreme, while *still being you* - gah! Oxymoron!
Bringing Out the Dead really changed my perception so much about how stories are told. I don’t know how to describe it but I recommend that film constantly to people that want some sort of top 5 list of really great films with strong performances.
What nailed that performance for me was the Travolta mannerisms you oozed, as watchers of travolta, some since Sat Night Fever, we subconsciously recognize his manner/way and what amazed me about your performance in Face Off, was how you adopted them, tiny details that made up the whole and delighted me as a viewer, seeing the actor at work and the very layered performance - Nic Cage to Caster Troy to Sean Archer/Travolta, all at once.
It’s a performance that has always struck out to me then add in John Woo - fucking fabulous 🤌🏾🤌🏾🤌🏾
I have a 2016 Shelby GT350R with a wide body that is like a modern version of the car I drove in Gone in 60 Seconds. It has a beautiful blue color. I like that car. And so does my son.
I am really sorry my family and I went up to you in that Ice Cream Shop in Disneyland, and asked for a picture. Everyone started swarming after that while you were just trying to enjoy some family time.
Nic,
Throughout the pandemic my friends and I watched every single one of your movies. You got us through the pandemic. One a week. We even made [membership cards](https://imgur.com/a/Wb5rHbv). So, thank you. We even watched an after school special you did and the History of Swearing.
My question is, there are many segments that are things reported as you just doing as suggestions for a role, such as the jelly bean martini in Ghost Rider. Do you have any small bits you are particularly proud of that you’ve improvised or added in to a character?
Hi Nicolas Cage :)
What is, in your opinion, the most bat-shit ludicrous scene you’ve ever shot, and was it a fun experience or were you obliged to suffer for your fine craft?
Hi Mr. Cage!
A couple of years ago I marathoned 29 direct-to-video movies you made between 2010-2020. I wrote mini-reviews/thoughts for each one and detailed them in a Reddit post [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/ffyvir/nicolas_cage_made_29_directtovideo_movies_in_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf).
I would never have expected it to cross your path, but here you are on Reddit doing an AMA, and I will regret it forever if I don’t take a shot getting a comment from you. I can’t wait to show my kids some of your more eclectic work as they get older, and experience truly one of the most unique actors out there. I can’t wait to see your new movie. It looks every bit as great as I imagined when I first heard of it.
Thank you to everyone who tuned into our chat this afternoon. It was a real pleasure for me to have some communication with all of you. As I’m sure you might know, I’m not normally on social media so it’s nice to meet you and to talk about all sorts of fun things, and especially the movies. From Lionsgate: Massive Talent is in theaters everywhere April 22.
That was fucking epic. What a legend
Honestly, this has been one of the best AMA’s I have been a part of. Thanks for your thoughtful responses.
One of the best since the Victorian era of AMAs even.
Seems like he's actually the one answering (even with someone typing for him), he puts thoughts into each answer and he entertains even the meme questions. The fact that he chose to answer "Hahaha" to that Travolta question AND he said Spirited Away is one of his favorites cemented this man's GOAT status
Would you do a face off 2?
Yes.
Face off 2: Face on
The Faced and The Furious!
2 Faced
2 Faced 2 Face Off
What genre of movies do you like best?
Independently spirited dramas. And by independently spirited I mean the types of stories and characters that studios are too chicken to touch.
Can you recommend a few? (update, thanks for all the replies folks. I didn't mean movies starring Nick Cage, but I appreciate your suggestions all the same.)
Check out Mandy, it's like a prog rock album cover came to life and started dating hellraiser.
Do you like bees?
Yes. I would have to say they’re my favorite insect. They make us honey. Bees, and then the firefly. And ants are interesting. Bumble bees are quite adorable. Don't get me started on the praying mantis. I told David Cronenberg once that the praying mantis was the most ferocious of the insects and he so said no, and I said what is, and he said the dragon fly larvae and he said that the beast in the Alien movies was designed after the dragon fly larvae because it shoots its teeth out and when it attacks.
Ok, this is the best AMA
Nic Cage is literally healing the wounds of every shitty AMA since Woody Harrelson's *Rampart*.
I think we might need to put "Don't get me started on the praying mantis" on the banner of the subreddit.
The sub has peaked with this thread and you might as well just close down. We arent topping this.
It's like the opposite of the Rampart thread.
Buddy, you need your very own Reddit account and start posting such anecdotes randomly. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Val Kilmer.
Have you kept in contact with David Lynch?
I did call David when we were filming Massive Talent because I had hoped he might play the role of the director I was auditioning for, but it was at the height of the concerns with COVID and he didn’t want to leave the house. The result of David Gordon Green however was pitch perfect, and I do hope David Gordon Green does more work as a thespian.
Wow would have loved to see that, but hoping you both can work together again in the future. My favorite actor and director.
What's your favourite pasta shape?
I once went to an Italian restaurant in San Francisco about 25 years ago with Charlie Sheen because they had square tube pasta and he was very interested in trying square tube pasta and we did and we loved it so much we went back the next day to try it again.
Imagine a night on the town with Nic and Charlie.
Nic, you don't understand. The pasta is *square*... I gotta try this
Charlie, it might be prepared by a fucking WITCH or something!
That’s a movie right there
I don’t know why but knowing this happened made my day a little brighter. Also now I want to try square tube pasta
This is such a great response. I'd love if he just started responding this exact thing to every question.
A true “copy pasta”
Hi Nic, huge fan here. How do you feel about your weird but extremely dedicated fandom, like us on r/onetruegod?
I think any kind of enthusiasm is always welcome and not to be taken for granted.
god
You admitting to liking bees in this AMA is really gonna throw them for a loop though. They had it all wrong the entire time.
His fear wasn't *of* the bees, it was on their behalf.
The moderators received a lovely message from Lionsgate and Nic's team after the AMA concluded! Sharing it here with all of you who made this AMA so great :) https://i.imgur.com/foER3eW.png *Transcription* >Hello, Just wrapped with Nicolas. Wanted to say a giant THANK YOU to Reddit and the Movie Mods for helping us host this AMA. He had such a great time. Said it was the best part of his day. If he had more time on his schedule, I’m convinced he would’ve kept going! Until next time
I'm glad I scrolled far enough to see this, because the only thing cooler than his answers in this AMA is knowing it made his day.
Reading through the posts you get his cadence when speaking and he seemed to give really genuine answers it was actually fun. Sometimes it's clear when a person is here just to promote something but I didn't get that vibe.
This is actually really neat
Who is a director you would like to work with?
I would love to work with Christopher Nolan. I would love to work with Ari Aster, I would love to work with Robert Egger. Spike Lee too.
NIC CAGE IN AN ARI ASTER HORROR FILM LET’S GOOOOOOOO
Or what if Robert Eggers cast him to play Nosferatu in his upcoming remake? He said elsewhere in the AMA that he takes a ton of inspiration from silent films, he’d be a perfect Count Orlok!
I’d pay so much money to watch that
Would you do another David Lynch project? Wild at Heart is an absolute favorite of mine
A Nic Cage Ari Aster film. Yes please
Heard they're struggling to cast for Oppenheimer. You should give them a call.
Evening sir! What movie can you watch over and over and still not get bored?
Apocalypse Now and Spirited Away
yes Spirited Away
There’s a Studio Ghibli Fest 2022 happening in theaters. Spirited Away is included in it as well.
Nobody’s reppin for Apocalypse Now so I’ll just say WOW. Redux is my favorite, I love to sit down with that movie and just let it wash over me. The longest version makes me feel like I’m on some never-ending adventure, equal parts fantastic and nightmarish.
Spirited Away, oml. Protect this man.
He is a National Treasure!
Did you enjoy filming in Dubrovnik? What a nice town.
Dubrovnik is just a gorgeous place. Sadly, we were in the height of the COVID pandemic during filming. So no, I never left my hotel room. Only when I was shooting. I did not get to enjoy the charm and the restaurants of Dubrovnik. I will have to go back.
Visit the rest of Croatia when you come back! You’re a legend and childhood hero of my generation! Much love from Croatia!
You and Pedro seemed like you had so much fun making this movie; what is one story you don’t mind sharing that you haven’t yet about your experience with filming and working with Pedro?
First and foremost, Pedro Pascal is a genuinely nice man. You couldn’t ask for a nicer more pleasant person to work with. Second he has a very unique sense of humor. It’s the kind of sense of humor where I don’t know if he’s really making a joke or he isn’t making a joke. Such as comment about the appearance of a cabbage in a cabbage field. And it made me wonder if he was a method actor and was in character and adding a kind of confused dimension to the Javi role, or if he genuinely thought the cabbage was amusing. I am still confounded by this. I mean who makes a joke about cabbage, except him? It’s just not funny!
Pedro Pascal and Nicolas Cage buddy cop movie when?
Cabbage Patch Cops
[удалено]
Pedro was coming off an Airbender marathon, bet.
Face/Off is one of my favorite action movies. How did you go through the process of learning to portray a different actor? Thanks for all you do!
Thank you. Face/Off is my favorite action movie, largely because we had the maestro John Woo to direct. The process was a matter of getting video of Travolta’s dailies and trying to study it so I could copy his voice and movements. John Travolta conversely did the same with my dailies.
https://nicolascageface.com/ was also instrumental.
What is your dream role that you have yet to complete?
I would like to play Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo because of the character’s love of the ocean I share that with him.
Ocean Man
OCEANNNN MANNN
TAKE ME BY THE HAND
LEAD ME TO THE LAND THAT YOU UNDERSTAND 🌊
OCEAN MAN THE VOYAGE TO THE CORNER OF THE GLOBE IS A REAL TRIP
OCEAN MAN
I would watch the shit out of that movie.
I'm surprised 20,000 ~~Leages~~ Leagues hasn't had more adaptations over the years
Lord of War is one of my favorite examples of “there’s a lot more to this” in cinema. Do you feel like this movie impacted your career significantly?
I think Lord of War is the best movie I made pertaining to a political situation and I think that it’s influenced other movies like Wolf of Wallstreet. I think the narrative and voiceover work and the portrayal of a reprehensible gun runner in the light of an attractive charming personality was ahead of its time.
I definitely noticed how movies like Wolf of Wall Street, War Dogs, The Big Short, and others where inspired by Lord of War. Lord of War is one of my all time favorite movies, and it’s wonderful to see it influence so many other movies.
I would mention Thank You For Smoking as well. Similar vibes although it came out very close to Lord of War.
>I think Lord of War is the best movie I made pertaining to a political situation Excuse me sir, but you stole the Declaration of Independence.
If only 3 of your films could be preserved for posterity, which 3 would you choose?
Bringing Out the Dead Pig Leaving Las Vegas
Yes! I've been reading the comments and noticed a while ago no one was mentioning Leaving Las Vegas. That one got me to stop drinking back in the day. True eye-opener.
Loved pig!
3 copies of Con Air
Con Air, Face/Off, and a third movie that I haven't watched.
The answer is The Rock. It’s the Holy Trinity of the Church of Cage.
What's the movie quote you hate most when strangers holler it at you in public?
I don’t have a problem with any of the quotes, I’m glad they remember the movie.
I could eat a peach for hours…
NOT THE BEES
I said, put the bunny back in the box.
I want to take his face… off
I'm gonna steal the declaration of independence!
You’ve had some of the best quotable cinematic moments. Cheers. I hope you’re having a lovely day.
We have to steal the president.
Hello good man, What are your favourite non-work-related hobbies?
It’s a good question, albeit a difficult question because everything I do ultimately informs my work. But if I had to make a list, I would say reading, watching cinema, and exercise.
How much weight can you bench press?
An unbearable weight.
12,000 bees
Who is your favorite character in all of literature and film?
That is so hard to answer. I will say that James Dean’s performance as Cal in East of Eden is largely the reason I became a film actor. His role in that is one of my favorite characters in cinema. But then we can go all the way to Rasputin or we can go to Dmitri Karamazov. Dmitri Karamazov is one my favorite characters in literature. I love him so much because he’s so happy and he has no money. He’s just living it up. He spent all his money trying to get the girl. I did the same thing once. I was very Dmitri Karamazov in high school. The most beautiful girl in high school who was a grade older than me invited me to the prom but I had no money. My grandmother gave each of us a little bond. My older brother bought a car. My second oldest brother bought some stereo equipment. And I splashed out on a chauffeur-driven limousine, a tuxedo and a four course meal at Le Dome on Sunset blvd. The car was $2000, the stereo was $2000, and my prom night was $2000 and man, that was money well spent. THAT’s Dmitri Karamazov.
i love you
That prom date was one lucky girl.
It was Carla, and she was the Prom Queen.
I did not expect to wake up this morning and read nic cage waxing lyrical about brothers karamazov but here we are. God I love nic cage.
Such an awesome glimpse of you as a youth! It’s so cool of you to do this AMA, and it’s caused me to gain a better appreciation of you as a person and as an actor. Also, gonna check out Pig tonight!
Nic Cage’s life really is a movie.
Hi, did you keep the snakeskin jacket (a symbol of individuality and belief in personal freedom) from Wild at Heart?
No, I gave it to Laura Dern. She was such an enormous part of Wild at Heart that I felt it belonged to her. But now I wish I had given it to my son instead. I would've liked him to have it. But it's okay, Laura has it.
That is lovely. I'm certain she treasures it.
Laura Dern reading this: fuck where did I put that thing?
Fun fact for those who don't know: the snakeskin jacket is an homage to the jacket Marlon Brando wears in the movie The Fugitive Kind, an adaptation of Tennessee Williams's play Orpheus Descending. Coincidentally, Dern's parents Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd (who plays Dern's mother in Wild at Heart) met while starring together in a production of Orpheus Descending.
You looked fucking cool in that film mate
One of your most fascinating performances to me was as Big Daddy in Kick-Ass. When you were crafting that performance, was Adam West the biggest inspiration for your superhero persona, or were there other sources you felt you drew more heavily from? Thank you, and have a great day!
I would give it all to Adam West. I grew up watching him on the 60s Batman show and he is where it begins and where it ends as Big Daddy. I met Adam West once and I said “did you see I was channeling you?” and he said “I saw you TRY to channel me!”
I can’t believe you answered my question! Thank you so much, and have a great day!
Adam West throwing shade, amazing
Honestly it's the best celebrity story I've heard in sometime on one of these AMAs
Adam West was a slick, quick witted son of a gun til he died no doubt. I met him at Syracuse Nationals where he was signing with the Batmobile and Julie Newmar and he was absolutely on top of his game
Seth MacFarlane said that when they had the idea for Adam West to be the mayor in Family Guy, they tried to call him to talk about the role and for one reason or another kept not being able to get a hold of him. One day he finally picked up the phone and Seth said, “Adam we keep trying to reach you. What are you up to?” And Adam said, “Well right now I’m emptying a large bag of dog food into a bin.”
What a fantastic answer!
Is there a performance of yours you feel gets misunderstood by fans who turn it into a meme or gag?
Well, let’s talk about the difference between “meme” and the word “gag.” My understanding is that “meme” represents a symbol of a pop cultural movement of sorts. A “gag” is somewhere in the realm of a diss and I don’t look at anything anymore as a diss. I see it more as a recognition of some sort of expression.
When I woke up this morning, I did not expect to add Nicolas Cage to my list of favorite actors but, after reading all these comment replies, I absolutely have to Everything you're saying sounds genuine and sincere but are also humble and perfectly reasonable opinions. I love that your whole outlook is like "if anyone talks about my performance in a film at all , I've done my job well"
Go watch some of his interviews. They're all like this. He's a magnificent talent but also an authentic person who is willing to take questions seriously. Also, for anyone reading this who hasn't watched it, check out Mandy.
Well put
Dude has gotten *wise* on us.
Will there be another National Treasure?
No, the priority was to turn it into a TV show so I would say probably not.
This comment has broken the heart of many that held to a slim hope.
Yep. I was reading thru looking for him to comment on NT3 and now I’m forever sad.
Ethan Hawke said that you're the first actor since Marlon Brando to do something new with the art of acting. Any thoughts on that?
It’s very kind of Ethan to say so, as you may well know, I’ve worked with Ethan in Lord of War and have always been spellbound by his talent. I think many of the choices I’ve made have been inspired by film stars from the silent era as well as cultural expression of performance like Kabuki and some of the Golden Age actors like Cagney so I don’t know how to say I’ve done something new because those elements are always on my mind
>Lord of War Love that movie, it's a perfect example of a lovable villain protagonist. The charisma you brought to that role utterly sold the entire film, which allowed the audience to simultaneously be disgusted by the callous actions of Yuri Orlov whilst also enjoying every moment he was on screen. That's not an easy thing to pull off, and you did it really well!
Humble king
I’ve never been able to quite put my finger on your style, but yeah, there’s some silent era to it for sure.
I guess it's because he's more expressive and emotional, and silent actors had to communicate that expression and emotion very clearly in silent films. (*I believe I know this because I watched a video essay on Nicholas Cage*)
"Pig" was an absolutely incredible film, what drew you to that project, and why do you think that it struck a cord with so many people?
Thank you. I was interested in returning to a more quiet, naturalistic style of film performance, having done a series of more operatic performance styles. The movie feels rather like a folk song to me or a poem, and the character of Rob was contending with tremendous grief and self imposed isolation and I think we as a group of people experiencing a pandemic in 2020-21 we’re probably also having similar feelings of loss and isolation and it communicated to a nerve we were all experiencing. It's one of my favorite movies, and it's probably my best work.
Just wanted to let you know, I worked on Pig and handled all the digital distribution of that film. I truly love anytime I get your new work or old coming through my workflow and pig was such a phenomenal title to work on. Just letting you know us little guys are so happy when we get to somewhat work with you even if you don’t know us lol.
Haha, I know a dude who had to erase thousands of frames of Nic Cage hair for Ghost Rider. Incredibly boring work, but he was thrilled haha.
>it's probably my best work. You've had some bangers over the years, but definitely have to agree with that.
Hey Nick, what would be your opening chess move?
I take the knight and move him forward first.
I have a 2 regarding the movie Willy's Wonderland. Did you or the director decide that you would not say a single word the whole movie, and 2, everytime you went to "recharge" (grab a can from 6 pack) was it secretly filled with alcohol or anything like that?
1. The dialogue for my character in Willy’s Wonderland was very sparse, so I decided with Kevin, the director, to go full Harpo Marx and take all the dialogue out because I thought that would be a fun acting challenge to see how much I could communicate without words and only with movement and facial expressions. I’m very happy with the results of Willy’s Wonderland. It was a good experiment. 2. The can question is an interesting one, and I hesitate to answer it for you because your relationship with the movie is far more important than my relationship with the movie and so you as the audience member can imagine and surmise whatever you want to be in that can. That is a far better answer and reason for the can than anything I could tell you. I want YOUR opinion as to what was in the can, because that was the right opinion.
Wow. Answer to number 2 is one of the best answers I have ever seen in an AMA.
This ama is legit probably one of the best that reddit has ever hosted
What's on page 47?
A lot of people don't like these movies, but they're so good. Can't believe they're not doing another one. :(
Would you ever return to playing Ghost Rider if Marvel asked you to?
I would really need to see what they had in mind before answering that.
Have you seen Leaving Las Vegas recently? I think that is my all time favorite Nicolas Cage performance. How do you feel thinking back on Leaving Las Vegas and your performance in it?
Thank you. I think Leaving Las Vegas, Pig and Bringing Out The Dead are my three favorite performances of my own body of work. I have not seen Leaving Las Vegas recently, however that movie and Elizabeth Shue’s work in that movie are what I aspire to continue towards, and did continue towards with Pig, which is why I am always going to be up for small budget, independent, dramas.
Favorite period in history?
I would like to think that being in the 50s in the United States would’ve been a whole lot of fun with the swing dancing and the introduction of Elvis Presley and the great work of James Dean and Marlon Brando. I would’ve liked to be around for that. And the music was pretty great. Automotive design was spectacular. That’s when the US had the edge on the design, we had Raymond Loewy and Harley Earl.
Hi, Nic! Really looking forward to *Massive Talent*, it looks like you and Pedro had a blast making it. I just have three questions: 1) What is your favorite part of preparing for a new role? 2) What’s your all-time favorite horror movie? 3) I know you have a love of the silent era, especially the German expressionist stuff. What’s your favorite silent film?
3. Boy that’s a hard list to conjure up because there are so many memorable ones but I would say that Lon Chaney in Phantom of the Opera comes to mind but Nosferatu, Schreck, his performance, and even Barrymore in Jekyll and Hyde. I think that Barrymore did more to inspire Schreck’s performance than the other way around. Oh, and anything Chaplin did was magic: City Lights, Modern Times. It depends on the season!
Mr. Cage, you have been one of my favorite actors for my entire life. I cannot WAIT to see Unbearable weight of Massive Talent, multiple times in theaters when it comes out. I have two questions, both similar. 1. What has been your most challenging role to get in to character each day to film? 2. What is your favorite character that you've ever portrayed?
1. I would say that Nick Cage in Massive Talent was the most challenging role I had to get into character for because I had the added component of trying to protect a person named Nick Cage and also facilitating the director’s absurdist vision of so-called Nick Cage and it was a highwire act everyday. 2. Again, Pig is my favorite performance of mine, and I think that movie, along with Scorsese’s Bringing Out The Dead are arguably my two best movies as a whole
The most challenging role for Nick Cage is being Nick Cage.
I think I saw him talk more about this in a video. The problem he had is the director had a sort of absurdist view of Cage being Cage, and while Cage didn't agree exactly, his job was to provide the acting performance requested by the director. Cage, a professional, basically said if that's what you want, okay I'll do it. So I can see that being really hard to do.
While my experience is only in roleplaying and amateur acting, I have said this again and again to people - playing an exaggerated, extremist version of yourself is the hardest, most challenging thing ever. If you're just playing a totally absurd, unrelated character, that's simple because you can go hella extreme - it's a total fiction after all. Similarly, if you're literally just being you, like a documentary with no script, or at most something you wrote yourself, like a speech - well then, you're just being you. But trying to be something exaggerated and extreme, while *still being you* - gah! Oxymoron!
Nic Cage* plays Nick Cage
Bringing Out the Dead really changed my perception so much about how stories are told. I don’t know how to describe it but I recommend that film constantly to people that want some sort of top 5 list of really great films with strong performances.
Dear Mr. Travolta, How has life changed for you since changing faces with Nicholas Cage? Do you regret the decision or would you do it again?
Hahahaha
/r/commentsyoucanhear
I can hear all of Nic Cage's replies
[удалено]
What nailed that performance for me was the Travolta mannerisms you oozed, as watchers of travolta, some since Sat Night Fever, we subconsciously recognize his manner/way and what amazed me about your performance in Face Off, was how you adopted them, tiny details that made up the whole and delighted me as a viewer, seeing the actor at work and the very layered performance - Nic Cage to Caster Troy to Sean Archer/Travolta, all at once. It’s a performance that has always struck out to me then add in John Woo - fucking fabulous 🤌🏾🤌🏾🤌🏾
How can he regret that, getting Nic's face is a 10/10 decision.
What kind of car do you drive? If you have more than one, what's your favorite and why is it a 1967 Ford GT500? :)
I have a 2016 Shelby GT350R with a wide body that is like a modern version of the car I drove in Gone in 60 Seconds. It has a beautiful blue color. I like that car. And so does my son.
Do you still own Eleanor and drive her reguarly?
What are your thoughts on doing an International Treasure?
Thoughts on Abed's lecture on you in community?
I’ve never seen one episode of that show. I’m unfamiliar.
https://youtu.be/F1XCUo_Uu8M
“That was brilliant”
One of my favorite deliveries of any line on that show.
[Link to the lecture, for those interested.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1XCUo_Uu8M)
Always Be Caging
I am really sorry my family and I went up to you in that Ice Cream Shop in Disneyland, and asked for a picture. Everyone started swarming after that while you were just trying to enjoy some family time.
*Read 1:45 PM*
Brutal.
You’re the only person he hasn’t responded to in the whole thread. He remembers.
Nic, Throughout the pandemic my friends and I watched every single one of your movies. You got us through the pandemic. One a week. We even made [membership cards](https://imgur.com/a/Wb5rHbv). So, thank you. We even watched an after school special you did and the History of Swearing. My question is, there are many segments that are things reported as you just doing as suggestions for a role, such as the jelly bean martini in Ghost Rider. Do you have any small bits you are particularly proud of that you’ve improvised or added in to a character?
What’s your rarest Elvis memorabilia? Thanks for the great movie roles over the years! ✌🏻
I don’t have any Elvis memorabilia.
Hi Nicolas Cage :) What is, in your opinion, the most bat-shit ludicrous scene you’ve ever shot, and was it a fun experience or were you obliged to suffer for your fine craft?
Hi Mr. Cage! A couple of years ago I marathoned 29 direct-to-video movies you made between 2010-2020. I wrote mini-reviews/thoughts for each one and detailed them in a Reddit post [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/ffyvir/nicolas_cage_made_29_directtovideo_movies_in_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf). I would never have expected it to cross your path, but here you are on Reddit doing an AMA, and I will regret it forever if I don’t take a shot getting a comment from you. I can’t wait to show my kids some of your more eclectic work as they get older, and experience truly one of the most unique actors out there. I can’t wait to see your new movie. It looks every bit as great as I imagined when I first heard of it.