Maika Monroe has slowly established herself as a captivating scream queen since the 2010s. The actress has predominantly starred in horror/intense thrillers that have shown her range as an actress. Films like It Follows, The Guest, Villains, Watcher, and The Significant Other have made her one of the most compelling actresses in the horror genre.
Monroe is back again with another horror thriller film, Longlegs, where she stars opposite Nicolas Cage who plays an elusive serial killer. The two stars share a screen in one intense scene in the film. The Moonstruck star’s performance in that scene terrified Monroe so much that her heart rate spiked to 170 BPM.
Maika Monroe Had A Visceral Experience While Filming With Nicolas Cage That Freaked Her Out
Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage are teaming up in Oz Perkins’ latest horror thriller film Longlegs. The film chronicles Monroe’s character, who’s an FBI agent hunting for a dangerous serial killer named Longlegs played by Cage. While the two stars are separated for most of the film, they share only one intense scene together, a particular one which left Monroe terrified and paralyzed with fear.
A new promotional video of the film shows a heartbeat sensor recording Monroe’s heartbeat before to meeting Cage’s character and after seeing him in person. Her normal/resting heart rate was 76 BPM. As she watched Cage’s terrifying and creepy portrayal of Longlegs, “her heart rate hit 170 bpm” as stated in the caption of the video (via X).
The first time Maika Monroe saw Nicolas Cage as Longlegs, her heart rate hit 170 bpm.
LONGLEGS opens in theaters Friday: https://t.co/3tgjmFAPLc pic.twitter.com/DaweYaDgxM
— ↃL⊥\Ↄ—\ᘰ (@LonglegsFilm) July 8, 2024
Monroe’s reaction is genuine as she is seeing Cage’s Longlegs for the first time as her character (and also as herself). She is clearly freaked out and is uncomfortable sitting near him. It is a testament to Cage’s committed performance that has led to such a visceral reaction from the actress. At the end of the video, Monroe says that it was an experience that she will never forget in her life.
The film’s reviews are already out and many are calling it one of the scariest movies ever made and it’s not for the faint of heart. Longlegs currently has an amazing 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, describing Cage’s performance as ‘nightmarishly gonzo’. It seems fans are in for an unsettling and disturbing horror flick with Longlegs.
Maika Monroe Had A Surreal Moment With Nicolas Cage After Shooting Longlegs
Oz Perkins’ Longlegs is currently the talk of the town in the horror space. Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage indulge in a cat-and-mouse chase throughout the film as an FBI agent is on the hunt for an elusive serial killer. The two stars were isolated for the entirety of the film until the last scene planned for the shoot.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Monroe revealed that he heard Cage’ real voice on that last day of shoot. The actress further claimed that he leaned over to her to tell her that he was a big fan of her work. Monroe was taken aback by this and called it an insane moment for her. The actress said,
When we finally finished the last take and called cut, that was the first time I heard [Cage’s] real voice. He leaned over the table and he was like, ‘I’m a real big fan of you,’. I then just looked around and was like, ‘Did everyone just hear that? Did everyone catch that? Because Nick Cage just said he’s a big fan.’ So it was a pretty insane moment for me.
Getting such a commitment from an actor like Cage was a huge deal for Monroe. The actress was also left terrified by Cage’s performance in the film. Longlegs also stars Alicia Witt, Blair Underwood, and Kiernan Shipka.
The film will hit theaters on July 12, 2024.
