Nicholas Cage is one of the Hollywood legends who has a thriving career to complement his legacy in the industry. He has appeared in movies across genres. The actor who won an Oscar for his role in Leaving Las Vegas, however, received criticism from a Batman actor for his role in Kick Ass.
Legendary Batman star Adam West criticized Nicholas Cage for his role in Matthew Vaughn-directed 2010 black comedy superhero film Kick Ass. Cage played Damon Macready a.k.a. Big Daddy— an ex-cop turned vigilante. In the movie, he wanted payback against Frank D’Amico after the villain destroyed Big Daddy’s family.
Batman Star Adam West Was Critical Of Nicholas Cage’s Role In Kick Ass
Original Batman star Adam West was once very critical of Nicholas Cage’s Big Daddy in Matthew Vaughn’s Kick Ass. Of course, the movie has gained a cult following over the years after its release on DVD and Blu-ray, but Cage revealed that West made a joke of his performance in the movie. In an AMA with Cage organized by Lionsgate, the Ghost Rider actor candidly reflected on West’s criticism.
“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 channelling you?’ and he said ‘I saw you TRY to channel me,’” Cage said.
Cage’s performance in the movie was commendable. The actor took many inspirations for the role, one of which included West’s Batman voice. Also, fans and critics loved the movie as Kick Ass went on to claim an astonishing 81% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Also, it is fair to assume that West was only joking during his meeting with Cage rather than being his harsh critic.
Nicolas Cage Was Concerned About His Kick Ass Co-Star’s Role
Kick Ass has an astounding cast, including Chloë Grace Moretz playing Hit-Girl and Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s title character, Kick Ass. Cage, however, admitted that he was concerned for Moretz’s character in the movie, in an interview with MTV, the Dream Scenario star revealed that he was concerned for his co-star due to the violence in the R-rated movie. “There were a lot of feelings about [the violence],” the actor said of Moretz’s character. “I was concerned,” Cage continued, adding, “I knew it was going to be something that was uncomfortable for me as an actor.”
“My belief is that any art form — pop art or other — is by nature freedom of speech. It depends how you come into the movie and what your agenda is. Hopefully you won’t have any agenda and you’ll just go and see an rated-R movie and receive whatever it is the director wanted you to receive. But if you have an agenda going in and say, ‘It’s inappropriate,’ you can pick that argument. Conversely, you can come out and say, ‘Chloe Moretz’s character is a pop icon of feminism strength. Because women go to see this movie and they’re really wowed by it. They love her character and how powerful she is. It’s ‘I am woman, hear me roar.'”
Cage further acknowledged Mortez, saying, “I knew about her right away that she was marvelously charismatic and had her own unique sense of humor.” Mortez was pretty young when she starred in the movie, and that was quite concerning for Cage, but he soon realized she had the star presence.
Kick Ass is available to stream on Peacock.
