Seven of Nicolas Cage's most Nicolas Cage roles
There’s no denying Nicolas Cage has had one of the most eclectic acting careers in Hollywood history, built on a foundation of abstract independent dramas and fan-favourite blockbusters in equal measure. The actor, born Nicolas Kim Coppola, has soared to the dizzying heights of critical success, stumbled into pitiful slumps and sometimes participated in humongous flops, but his unwavering dedication to the craft, his undeniable talent and the diversity of roles he gravitates towards never fails to impress.
With the release of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent in cinemas, let’s look at some of Cage’s most Cage-like roles.
Moonstruck (1987)
Portraying Italian-American Ronny Cammareri wasn’t much of a reach for the nephew of The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola. This romantic comedy, co-starring Cher, also marked his major big-screen breakthrough. With a wolf-like fearlessness, Cage devoured the role of a hot-headed estranged brother-turned-lover.
But it took some convincing to sell Cage on stepping into the shoes of the romantic baker. He admits: “I didn’t want to do a schmaltzy movie about opera.” And so Cage bargained with his agent that if he did Moonstruck, he could then star in a movie at the complete opposite end of the film spectrum: horror-comedy Vampire’s Kiss. Some 35 years later, the star is grateful for that career-defining ultimatum because, barring memories of freezing in snowy New York, Moonstruck remains very dear to his heart. “I think it’s powerfully romantic,” he says.
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Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Cage won the Best Actor Academy Award for playing Ben Sanderson, a suicidal screenwriter struggling with alcoholism. The film is infected with a manic energy, which is largely due to Cage’s mesmerising acting style.
Although not a method actor, Cage is not afraid of going to great lengths to create an authentic performance. For this frantic drama, he decided to incorporate real drinking in some scenes. “That scene in the casino when I’m freaking out, I’m really drunk,” he shares.
Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in Face/Off
Face/Off (1997)
In a now iconic performance, Cage proved himself a master of the outrageous in one of the biggest action movies of the ’90s. For this vengeful thriller involving facial transplant surgery, Cage and co-star John Travolta take impersonating each other to the delightful extreme.
Co-writer and producer Mike Werb tells The Independent that Cage seems to have had a tougher acting job. “When Nic was Sean Archer, he had to act like he’s Castor Troy, but the humanity of Sean Archer has to bleed through at all times.”
Travolta backs him up, admitting, “I had an easier time of it than Nic did because Nic has a very specific style of attributes […] So he had a harder time finding me.” But always the pro, Cage nailed it.
Cage pulls double duty in Adaptation
Adaptation (2002)
Face/Off wasn’t the only time Cage had to take on two roles in one. His portrayal of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and Kaufman’s fictional twin Donald in the meta dramedy Adaptation earned him his second Oscar and BAFTA nominations (the first being for Leaving Las Vegas).
Director Spike Jonze had complete confidence in Cage’s ability to switch between the anxious and free-spirited duo. But that doesn’t mean it came without difficulty. “Where it got frustrating for me was going from Charlie to Donald, then going back to Charlie,” Cage told People. “I literally wanted to scream. And then, in fact, did scream.”
Cage as Ben Gates in National Treasure
National Treasure (2004)
With films like Fire Birds (1990), Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) and Ghost Rider (2007) in his catalogue, the action star was a perfect fit for courageous treasure hunter Ben Gates in adventure flick National Treasure.
Co-star Diane Kruger has no shortage of fond, yet bizarre, memories of working with the enigmatic actor on the 2004 film. “We were sitting close to Mount Rushmore and I guess the lady who worked in the park said, ‘There’s this bat cave here and it’s for sale.’ He said, ‘Sold!’ And he bought it.” Is that not the most Nic Cage thing you’ve ever heard?
Cage demonstrates his unbearable talent in Michael Sarnoski’s Pig
Pig (2021)
Moving away from the world of Disney blockbusters and violent oddballs (2021’s Willy’s Wonderland and Prisoners of the Ghostland), Cage laced up his truffle hunting boots for indie film Pig. Like his character Rob, a reclusive former celebrity chef, Cage admits, “I do feel that I’ve gone into my own wilderness and that I’ve left the small town that is Hollywood.”
Debut feature writer and director Michael Sarnoski’s values Cage’s faith and bravery. “He knows that when you’re on set, you trust the director, and that’s that.”
With Pedro Pascal in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
This might just be Cage’s most Cage-iest movie yet. In The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Nicolas Cage plays Nick Cage, a fictional version of himself in financial, professional and personal turmoil who begrudgingly accepts $1 million to attend super-fan Javi’s (Pedro Pascal) birthday party. On the way to Javi’s Mallorca compound, Cage is bizarrely recruited by the CIA to take down an arms dealer. But when the mission goes awry, the star must channel his most iconic on-screen characters to save everyone. If the premise sounds bonkers on the surface, it is! But just like Cage himself, there’s much more to this mad-cap meta story than what we see on the surface.
