Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage has transcended pop culture, not only becoming an icon but also a Hollywood legend with his newest film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Cage has done it all, from indie movies to Oscar winnings to stealing the Declaration of Independence, but this venture honors him in the highest way possible, a film in which he stars as a version of himself, Nick Cage.
Despite the excitement surrounding the film, his first reaction did not go as planned, and after receiving the pitch for the meta-comedy-drama-action film, his first response was “absolute horror.”
“There was no muscle in my body that told me I should play a character named Nick Cage, it was absolute horror,” he told Variety at the New York premiere on Sunday. “However, the director wrote me a very intelligent, sensitive letter, and in that letter, I knew he was a true film enthusiast that likes some of his earlier work. He wanted to make a movie that was about people, not about caricatures or cartoons.”
From director Tom Gormican, the film has him starring as Nick Cage, a world-famous actor (like himself), who has since retired (unlike himself). The character also strays away from Cage’s personality in real life and is described as “highly neurotic” and “anxiety-filled interpretation.” Before calling it quits, Nick Cage accepts an invitation to a birthday party for a billionaire fan, played by Pedro Pascal. Pascal turns out to be an ultimate crime boss, and Cage must escape using the action skills he’s gained from his movie career.
“It was a balancing act. Like I’m on a high wire, and if I slipped, it was a pretty big fall. I had to facilitate the vision of so-called Nick Cage,” the actor said.
You can see The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent in select theatres now or everywhere on April 15th.
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