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How did that project come to you?
He suggested I look at an episodic television show he was working on, which was certainly unique.
Nicolas Cage in ‘Dream Scenario.’ 2023.A24/Everett Collection
At that time, at least.
One was calledEer, and I flipped out.
He had a kind of an almostAdaptation-style of film performance.
Nicolas Cage as biologist Paul Matthews inDream Scenario.Jan Thijs/A24
So we hit it off right away.
But perhaps more importantly, I really thought the script was perfect.
I didnt think Id want to change a word of it.
It was the perfect place for me to kind of express some of the feelings Id had.
DEADLINE: Its a very rich metaphor.
Its also a reflection of the way pop culture absorbs and dispenses with people.
or a freakout scene fromVampires KissorGhost Rider.
And so thats why Im thinking about other formats.
I never wouldve considered television five years ago, but now Im thinking about it.
DEADLINE: How did you come up with the look of the character?
You obviously didnt have much time to work on this, working as quickly as you do.
And I said, Why do some men like to wear their hair like that?
Its a very professorial look.
So, youre not thinking of Nicolas Cage, youre thinking of Paul Matthews.
It happened very quickly.
We hit it off really quickly and found the character together.
DEADLINE: Theres also the political dimension of cancel culture.
CAGE: Not so much.
Its a bit like peeling an onion, it has different layers.
I didnt sign up to be an internet meme.
I dont know what this is.
I had no reference point for it.
I found it frustrating, but I also found it stimulating.
I thought it was confusing, but I had nowhere to put it.
I dont say this with any complaint anymore or with any ill will.
And its also given people a kind of id release.
DEADLINE: Do you see a thread running through your career?
Theres a kind metatextual trilogy now, withAdaptation,The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and now this.
Is it an approach you enjoy going back to?
Well, maybe you could clarify in what way isAdaptationmetatextual?
CAGE: Oh, right, yeah, indeed.
And two, I think its unusual storytelling.
DEADLINE: How do you maintain that quest for the exotic while working as often as you do.
You seem to find great scripts on a regular basis.Pig, for example, orSion SonosPrisoners of the Ghostland.
How do you find the time to find them?
I felt theyd already made up their minds about me and werent that interested in working with me.
And so I said to myself, Well, lets think about what could happen.
What could change the dynamic in a really positive way for me?
That was his first movie, and it was just a great experience for me.
Everything coalesced, without any effort.
That inspired me, and that gave me life and fertility.
And then it happened again with Kristoffer Borgli and his script.
And so I wanted to go to Japan and make a movie in Japan.
So many of my favorite movies are Japanese classics in cinema.
DEADLINE: Has your attitude to acting changed at all over the years since you first started?
CAGE: Yeah, its been almost 45 years, if it’s possible for you to believe that.
I think that, yeah, the needs do change.
I wanted to look at, what can I do with different styles in acting?
Some people say its not real, but you cant say it isnt truthful.
And I look at movies today and Im like, You guys, it just feelsflat.
Its like its beendone.
Look at Billy Wilders style look at the buzz on that stuff.
So, when you asked me, am I looking for different things?
I think Ive done pretty much everything Ive wanted to do with cinema.
But I do think that now more than ever, its becoming more personal.
Its a very personal experience, both, for me.
Its hard not to feel like you know the guy, you know?
DEADLINE:Bringing Out the Deadis probably one of your most underrated performances.
How do you feel about that particular performance?
CAGE:Yeah, I love that movie, and I think it will stand the test of time.
I watched it again recently.
I think Paramount+ has it.
I really believe that that is one of my best movies.
I was in-betweenSnake EyesandNational Treasure, and I thought it was the most unusual style of filmmaking.
But I think it was misinterpreted.
Well, thats not what it was.
I always thought it was of a pair withTaxi Driver.
Theres not really much redemption inTaxi Driver.
CAGE:Thats exactly what it was.
WhereasTaxi Driverends in violence, this ends in a mercy killing of sorts.
DEADLINE: Ive got to say, though, I do love theNational Treasuremovies.
Were they fun to make?
CAGE:Oh, well, thanks.
Yeah, well, theyre a lot of fun.
Im still kind of amazed that Disney hasnt wanted to make a third one.
I think theyre all valid.
DEADLINE: Youve talked a little bit recently about retiring.
That cant be true surely, you cant be thinking of giving up?
Maybe Ill do one a year or every other year, I dont know.
But Im thinking about maybe trying television.
Ive never done that.
Because my mantra has always been to be a student.
Well, what does that mean?
That means Im looking for an education.
That means, I dont know what else I have to learn in cinema.
Then youre a filmmaker.
Ive not done that, and that scares the crap out of me.
But thats the kind of thing Id like to be able to do.
So its that, and television scares the crap out of me.
And also, Broadway scares the crap out of me.
Ive never done that.
So those are three areas, three ways, that I could start learning again.
One is Broadway, the other is become the total filmmaker, and the third way is television.
So Im not retiring, but I am looking at different points of expression.
DEADLINE: AfterThe Flash, have you made peace with the Superman movie that never happened now?
CAGE:Oh, no, I dont think thats coming back inanyway.
And listen, I wasnt angry about the situation.
I was just confused.
But that was a long time ago.
And then subsequently what happened withThe Flash…
I wasnt upset, I was just perplexed.
I was just like, It wasnt what I shot, and I was worried about it.
Whether it was through CGI or AI, that wasnt the conversation we had.
So I was confused.
But I was still happy to look at it.
And so it was 50/50.
I did get some satisfaction from seeing the character, but to me it didnt look [right].
But then, Superman is an alien.
Kal-El is from another planet.
So in that way, the CGI kind of looked right, because its alien.
It doesnt look real.
It doesnt look like it has a heartbeat.
So I can look at it that way and think that it worked.
DEADLINE: Whats next for you?
Obviously, youre taking off time off for the holidays.
What are you going to be doing next when you go back to work?
Theres a couple of things Im talking about, and I havent really announced anything yet.
But I cant put any titles or names to any of it right now until it gets more real.
DEADLINE: What would be your New Years message to the world?
Give peace a chance.
