Interview: Nicolas Cage

Interview by Clint Morris

Interview with Nicolas Cage
Star of the film Ghost Rider.

Most actors tend to tire of the action hero roles – or, the roles tire of them – by the time they’re in their late 30s - Jean Claude Van Damme is starting to slow down, Bruce Willis doesn’t do as many action movies now, and even Vin Diesel seems to have put the physical stuff on hold for a while – but not Nicolas Cage. And he’s 42.

The star of such actions hits as Con Air, Face/Off and The Rock proves that despite age, if you’re able-bodied, in good physical shape and generally, look after yourself, there’s no need to ever slow down. For the first time in his career – and funnily enough, at such a late age – Cage is playing a superhero. The dream role for the real-life comic buff? Johnny Blaze, the motorcycle-riding vigilante of the night, in Ghost Rider.

Nicolas Cage – born Nicholas Kim Coppola; he changed his name to see whether he could break into acting based on talent alone, without having to rely on his famous family name– was always a solid, somewhat muscular lad (despite not being very interested in sports) but it wasn’t until he started to get a little older – and especially when he became a father for the first time – that he realised it was time to completely devote himself to looking after himself. Suddenly, it was out with the cheeseburgers and beer, and in with the Veggie burgers and Lake Arrowhead water.

It was until 1996’s The Rock – an action film about an ex-prisoner forced to break back into Alcatraz – that audiences really discovered ‘Nicolas Cage, action star’ and also got a demonstration of just how physically fit he was. For the film, director Michael Bay really put Cage through his paces – running, jumping, performing some of his own stunts, and physically copping it in fight scenes – but attestation that he was rather fit, Cage hardly summoned a bruise.

Ten years later, Cage is prepping himself for cuts and bruises again, playing the superheroic lead in Ghost Rider.

Cage has been a fan of the Marvel comic book character since he was a young boy (“I enjoyed the image of the skull and fire when I was a boy. The mythology of it, the Faust-like storyline was so original for a Marvel comic book character, there really isn't any other one like Ghost Rider”) so agreeing to play the character was a no-brainer.

“It was wonderful for me, because as you know it has been a long time that I have been trying to [find a comic book character to play]”, he says, referring to the time when he was attached to play Superman in the ill-fated Superman Lives from director Tim Burton. 

“But I am a big believer that the right character is the one that ultimately happens, and while I enjoyed Superman I think Brandon [Routh] was the right choice for that part, and I absolutely believe that Ghost Rider is the right choice for me to play. It's a better match, I am glad it worked out this way.”

Cage insisted on being involved in the development process of the movie from the get-go. “I was invited in early on in the process so I like to think that I was building from scratch along with Mark and he was writing we would talk and even right before we went to film in Australia we were coming up with ideas that we would add on to the character.

“I think traditionalists of the comic book will be happy, but we did build up the story and add on to the character. There are little habits that he has, he has a fetish for jellybeans and he reads a lot, but he is something of a cowboy.

Cage says he also insisted that Blaze be a Karen Carpenter fan. “The way I thought of that I remember when I was in a dental chair, they always play these very soft, soothing types of music an Johnny Blaze is almost literally sitting in a dental chair every second of the day wondering when the Devil is going to come and claim his purchase. He's constantly trying to relax. So instead of the bourbon drinking, chain smoking bad ass I think he is such a bad ass that he just needs to calm down with Karen Carpenter and jellybeans.”

Obviously, there’s as much humour in the film, as there is violence. “You have to find the right balance to get it, it's a very fine line and you have to blend the joy of absurdity and comedy with truly scary imagery. I think the best example of that I had ever seen was American Werewolf in London, that was my template in my mind's eye that I wanted to try to aspire to get me to that zone. I loved that movie and I never forgot it.”

Ghost Rider is one of a dozen of new superhero projects in the works, and Cage is ecstatic that there’s so many. “Absolutely, the comic book movie is a wonderful way to entertain a lot of people. People love comic books on film, I knew it was going to happen. I knew it because I was an enthusiast at a young age and I knew with modern technology when they started taking Batman to the screen, Spider-Man, that they were just going to be enormous. The thing about comic book films is that it is a fantasy world and it's thoroughly entertaining and it doesn't rely on gratuitous violence and you can charm children and adults alike. I am very happy for it; it's almost a perfect medium for film. I would be happy to do more, I think I would even like to generate my own. As a matter of fact just the other day my son and I had a meeting with Virgin Comics and I said I wouldn't announce it, but I am going to announce it... Westin has developed a character and they have agreed to five issues of it.”

Will he be in a sequel? “My theory on sequels is that they have to be better than the original. So I am open, I just have to see a script and talk about it, but I love working with Mark and Eva and it would be great to do something again. I just want to make sure we can improve on the original, whatever you can do to make it one step better. I think the original is really good so it would mean a lot of sitting down and thinking about it.”

GHOST RIDER Opens Feb 15