Nicolas Cage is one of the biggest names in the world of Hollywood thanks to his well-varied genres of movies, but he is also known for his eccentric roles, bordering on the realm of absurdity. This is especially true for his role as Ghost Rider.
Nicolas Cage took on the role of Johnny Blaze, embodying the Ghost Rider character, in the superhero film released by Sony Pictures in 2007. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, the movie proved to be a box office hit. Its success paved the way for a sequel, titled Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which was released in 2012. However, it appears he won’t return as Ghost Rider again following his remarks about National Treasure 3.
Nicolas Cage’s Remarks About National Treasure 3 Make It Apparent He Won’t Return As Ghost Rider
Nicolas Cage, who portrayed treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates in the National Treasure franchise, addressed the possibility of a third installment in an exclusive interview with Screen Rant. When asked about the development of National Treasure 3, Cage bluntly stated it is not happening.
Here we go! See, you’re the one that brings these things up and they go out and they eclipse everything else. No, there is no National Treasure 3.
He would then indicate that discussions about the film tend to overshadow other topics. Cage jokingly advised against seeking treasure from Disney, suggesting it’s not to be found there.
”If you want to find treasure, don’t look at Disney, okay? It’s not there.”
Judging by what Nicolas Cage had to say regarding Disney, it has been quite clear he is still very angry at Disney and so on. Hence, it is quite unlikely he will agree to make his return as Ghost Rider for Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Secret Wars film in the future.
Nicolas Cage Had A Very Bizarre Method to Prepare For His Role As Ghost Rider
In a past interview with Empire Online, Nicolas Cage discussed his preparation for the role of Ghost Rider. Initially, Cage talked about his approach to portraying Johnny Blaze, the human side of Ghost Rider, describing him as a man burdened by a fiery curse and grappling with a dark sense of humor to cope with his past actions.
However, things took a more peculiar direction. Cage delved into his research and referenced a concept from Brian Bates’ book The Way Of Wyrd, which suggests that actors today have roots in ancient shamans who used imagination and symbolic objects to solve village problems. Inspired by this idea and portraying a character as far removed from reality as Ghost Rider, Cage decided to embrace unconventional methods.
He described painting his face with black and white makeup to resemble Baron Samedi, an Afro-Caribbean and Afro-New Orleans deity associated with death and conflicting forces. Cage also shared how he wore black contact lenses to obscure his eyes entirely, enhancing the skull-like appearance.
”Ghost Rider was an entirely new experience, and he got me thinking about something I read in a book called The Way Of Wyrd by Brian Bates, and he also wrote a book called The Way Of The Actor. He put forth the concept that all actors, whether they know it or not, stem from thousands of years ago—pre-Christian times—when they were the medicine men or shamans of the village. And these shamans, who by today’s standards would be considered psychotic, were actually going into flights of the imagination and locating answers to problems within the village. They would use masks or rocks or some sort of magical object that had power to it.”
Perhaps the most bizarre part of Cage’s preparation involved incorporating ancient Egyptian relics and gemstones like tourmaline and onyx into his costume, believing they would augment his performance and connect him with ancient spirits. He carried these items with him on set without explaining their purpose to his co-stars or crew, relishing the fear he sensed from them.
”It occurred to me, because I was doing a character as far out of our reference point as the spirit of vengeance, I could use these techniques. I would paint my face with black and white make up to look like a Afro-Caribbean icon called Baron Samedi, or an Afro-New Orleans icon who is also called Baron Saturday. He is a spirit of death but he loves children; he’s very lustful, so he’s a conflict in forces. And I would put black contact lenses in my eyes so that you could see no white and no pupil, so I would look more like a skull or a white shark on attack.”
He added,
”On my costume, my leather jacket, I would sew in ancient, thousands-of-years-old Egyptian relics, and gather bits of tourmaline and onyx and would stuff them in my pockets to gather these energies together and shock my imagination into believing that I was augmented in some way by them, or in contact with ancient ghosts. I would walk on the set looking like this, loaded with all these magical trinkets, and I wouldn’t say a word to my co-stars or crew or directors. I saw the fear in their eyes, and it was like oxygen to a forest fire. I believed I was the Ghost Rider.’‘
Nevertheless, fans have to accept that Nicolas Cage will not return as Ghost Rider ever again and that is not changing anytime soon.
