Friday, January 27, 2023
Green Reporter
  • Home
  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Filmmaking
  • Food
  • Investment
  • Management
  • Sustainability
  • Technology
  • Transportation
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Filmmaking
  • Food
  • Investment
  • Management
  • Sustainability
  • Technology
  • Transportation
No Result
View All Result
Green Reporter
No Result
View All Result
Home Filmmaking

Nicolas Cage Is Ready to Be Taken Seriously Again

GrR by GrR
July 16, 2021
in Filmmaking
0
59
SHARES
258
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


When Nicolas Cage read the script for Pig, a poignant drama about a truffle hunter who has abandoned society to live in the forest with his beloved pig, the Oscar-winning actor felt he could relate. Cage, like the character Rob, has a deep connection with animals: His best friend as a child was a cat named Razzmatazz. As an adult actor, he requested to handle a venomous snake for a role (even though he didn’t have to) because he felt the reptile calmed him down. At some point in his life, he shared a psychedelic experience with another cat. Even in his interview with Vanity Fair Wednesday, Cage corrected himself when he referred to domesticated animals as pets. “Pet is such a trite word,” he scoffed, before finding a more respectful descriptor: “animal family member.”

After a rocky 2019, Cage could also understand why a person might want to escape human society altogether. That year Cage drunkenly married a makeup artist, only to file to annul the marriage, his fourth, after four days. The following month, around the third anniversary of Prince’s death, Cage went to a Los Angeles karaoke bar where he covered “Purple Rain” as a form of remembrance and “primal scream therapy.” 

By that point in his career, Cage had given movie audiences countless “emotionally naked” performances onscreen. But when a karaoke audience member recorded Cage’s “Purple Rain” performance—an emotionally naked moment in his personal life—and uploaded it to the internet, the actor felt acutely violated.

“Karaoke is kind of like a prayer,” Cage told Vanity Fair, looking back at the incident. “You’re not supposed to videotape that. I’m not a professional singer. I’m just enjoying my life and blowing off some steam with friends.”

Ahead, Cage talks about why Pig, in theaters Friday, was a perfect place to channel his recent emotions. He also discusses the surreal challenge of playing various versions of himself for the forthcoming meta movie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent; what the Cage memes get wrong; and when channeling a sociopath onscreen has scared even him.

Vanity Fair: Before talking about Pig, I’m curious what your quarantine experience was like. You’ve said you prefer to be working at all times, so how did you fare during lockdown?

Nicolas Cage: Thank you for asking. It’s interesting that you bring that up, because I relied heavily on my cat and my family. I think this quarantine experience, and the fear of the pandemic itself, only augments the closeness we feel with our animal brothers and sisters. It’s interesting timing that this movie is coming out as we slowly begin to emerge from that experience. I was already close with my animals, but it only made us closer because I really needed their support during that time.

Pig is not the Liam Neeson–style revenge thriller I was expecting. It’s a quieter film about a man’s connection with another creature, and what he will do to protect it. The character comes out of profound isolation to try to track down the animal after it’s been stolen from him. Aside from the animal aspect, what appealed to you about the role?

This script came to me, and it seemed perfect for what I could recruit in terms of my own life experience—my own memories, my own dreams, my own fear—and even my interest in sort of isolating before the pandemic. When I read Michael [Sarnoski]’s script, I felt that this was something that would be a good match and wouldn’t require a great deal of effort. The timing was right.

I was interested in a return too—almost like reminding myself, and many of the folks in the critical universe, that [quieter performances] are another one of my paintbrushes. I had done Joe, which was another quiet, meditative character analysis…and in the past with movies like Birdy and The Weather Man.

But since then, I had really largely embarked on, for lack of a better word, a mission to explore what could be done with film performance breaking form from what had become the norm, which is naturalism. I am not Picasso, and I have great trepidation putting myself in the same sentence as Picasso. But, as a young man growing up with a professor as a father who was interested in the arts, I would ask him questions like, “Dad, why is he putting these portraits together with people’s eyes on the same side of their face?” And he said, “Well, that was his vision.” I said, “Well, can he draw normal people?” He goes, “Well of course, he can. He broke free.” For me it was, can you do that with film performance? But now, I think it had been forgotten that I really came out of dramas.

You mentioned your own period of isolation. Have you ever flirted with the idea of just giving up movies entirely, and moving off the grid like your character?

I have gone into the wilderness in terms of, if I am in California, I’m in downtown L.A. in Little Tokyo [as opposed to Hollywood]. And most of my time is spent in the Mojave Desert [specifically Las Vegas], where there really isn’t any kind of paparazzi culture. I might as well be on the moon, which I’ve enjoyed. And I enjoy working on productions that are smaller and have less to lose because there’s less fear involved. These big studios have become largely pandering to a climate of fear, and it becomes very hard to express something truthful while also fitting the necessities of the studio system.

It’s something that I danced with a little bit recently with Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. But I think I will continue the path I’ve been on and hopscotch around independent cinema as long as I’m invited to.

You mentioned surrealism. It seems as though the public has this perception of Nicolas Cage that is almost surreal in itself, based on stories you’ve told about the dinosaur skull you bought at auction, that had to be returned; your pet king cobras wanting to kill you; buying a serial killer’s home as creative inspiration; spending the night in Dracula’s castle; etc. What’s your relationship with that perception?



Source link

Previous Post

Scientists Search for Heat Islands in Virginia, Collect Data to Combat Climate Change – NBC4 Washington

Next Post

Climate change impacts WA biodiversity – The Science Show

GrR

GrR

Green Reporter is a global source for news of sustainability, green industry, green technology, clear energy, sustainable food production, and green investments. Our aim is to deliver the best news and information to you.

Next Post

Climate change impacts WA biodiversity - The Science Show

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

Climate change in our backyard: Manitoba begins to grapple with the consequences – Winnipeg

August 10, 2021

Repsol starts marketing debut sustainability-linked bond sale

June 29, 2021

Sustainability Ambitions Soaring at KCI

December 6, 2021

Chris Pratt explains where the White Spikes originated

July 3, 2021
Stop burning our rights! What governments and corporations must do to protect humanity from the climate crisis – World

Stop burning our rights! What governments and corporations must do to protect humanity from the climate crisis – World

Biden said to mull dropping corporate tax hike to fund jobs plan

Biden said to mull dropping corporate tax hike to fund jobs plan

Global investors pressure Asian utilities to cut emissions

Global investors pressure Asian utilities to cut emissions

Global inequity could derail path to net zero

Global inequity could derail path to net zero

What’s With A24’s Religious Obsession?

August 12, 2022

Governor Hochul Announces Completion of $16 Million Affordable Housing Development in Monroe County

August 12, 2022

EU ban on Russian coal enters into force

August 12, 2022

Immune system insights and Thai climate calculator: News from the College | Imperial News

August 12, 2022

Recent News

What’s With A24’s Religious Obsession?

August 12, 2022

Governor Hochul Announces Completion of $16 Million Affordable Housing Development in Monroe County

August 12, 2022

EU ban on Russian coal enters into force

August 12, 2022

Immune system insights and Thai climate calculator: News from the College | Imperial News

August 12, 2022

Recent News

What’s With A24’s Religious Obsession?

August 12, 2022

Governor Hochul Announces Completion of $16 Million Affordable Housing Development in Monroe County

August 12, 2022

EU ban on Russian coal enters into force

August 12, 2022

Browse by Category

  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Filmmaking
  • Food
  • Investment
  • Management
  • Sustainability
  • Technology
  • Transportation

Follow Us

  • Privacy & Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise

© 2021 Copyright Green Reporter

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Filmmaking
  • Food
  • Investment
  • Management
  • Sustainability
  • Technology
  • Transportation

© 2021 Copyright Green Reporter