Nicolas Cage has turned around his film career in recent years, starring in more indie films. He was recently seen in one of the most terrifying films of the year, Longlegs. Cage earlier starred in Dream Scenario, which earned him a nomination at this year’s Golden Globes. Cage’s script selection has been receiving praise ever since the critical acclaim for 2018’s Mandy.
Cage revealed that his experiments with his roles usually scared the big studios, which pushed him to the indie film scene. The Moonstruck actor must have realized that his role as a melancholic truffle forager in Pig would’ve never sat well with these big studios.
Nicolas Cage Likes To Try Different Things Which Makes Indie Films A Better Option For Him
Nicolas Cage‘s roles in his recent films have been a refreshing change for fans, who often expressed concern about the actor’s sinking career in the 2000s. Cage gave some wonderful performances in indie films. One notable role was that of a vengeful lumberjack, Red, in the 2018 film Mandy. Cage’s performance was praised in the film alongside its style and originality.
During an interview promoting Mandy, he was asked about his unique style of acting in such indie projects. The Ghost Rider actor shared that he was always open to breaking forms and trying different things with his roles. However, he was sure that such portrayals from the actor would scare the big studios.
He further shared that these independently spirited films helped him to keep himself from becoming very self-destructive. He didn’t want to be a person who sits idle and throws away his career, which was one of the reasons why he chose to do indie films. He shared with The Guardian:
Absolutely. I like to break forms, try different things, and I don’t think studios are comfortable with that. But in an independently spirited film, I can do that. Also, if I don’t have somewhere to go in the morning and a job to do, it can be very self-destructive. Then I’m just going to sit and order two bottles of red wine and dissolve, and I don’t want to be that person, so I have to work.
In a July 2023 interview with Variety, Cage revealed that he has shifted towards more independent films due to the commercial constraints imposed by mainstream Hollywood. He shared, “I do feel that I’ve gone into my own wilderness and that I’ve left the small town that is Hollywood.” Fans are not the only ones who are happy about the actor’s choice of roles.
Nicolas Cage Received Praise From Uncle Francis Ford Coppola For His Recent Choice of Roles
Francis Ford Coppola took to Instagram to pen a note of appreciation for his nephew Nicolas Cage’s recent performances. Recalling memories from Cage’s childhood, Coppola wrote that The Rock actor displayed his acting skills as a kid by imitating a computer. The Godfather director ended his note by praising Cage’s roles in Michael Sarnoski’s Pig and Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario.
Cage once shared with the New York Magazine that he tried to convince his uncle Coppola to grant him a screen test at the age of 15. Coppola remained silent to Cage’s demand despite being a hot-shot director in Hollywood at the time. Cage shared, “[I told him]‘Give me a screen test—I’ll show you acting.’ There was just silence in the car.”
The Face/Off actor did eventually work with Coppola in the 1983 film Rumble Fish and later in the 1986 film Peggy Sue Got Married. He didn’t want to associate himself with the Coppola family name, which prompted him to change his name from Coppola to Cage, inspired by the Marvel character Luke Cage and musician John Cage.
Pig is now available for streaming on Hulu and Dream Scenario is now available for rent on AppleTV+. Mandy is now available on Hulu.
