Nicolas Cage was ‘not wild’ about the idea of portraying himself before appearing in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Actor Nicolas Cage was revealed to have almost not played himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent during a new interview.
Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, who co-wrote the project’s screenplay, discussed several aspects of the film’s production process during their sit-down with the media outlet.
The filmmakers made a point of expressing that they initially expected that the movie’s 58-year-old star would be apprehensive about the project as a whole.
High stakes: Nicolas Cage was revealed to have almost not played himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent during an interview with the feature’s writer that was published by The Hollywood Reporter on Friday
Etten recalled that ‘we were told that Nick has done these projects before and he’s not wild about Nick as Nick. And we weren’t two guys who had a huge body of work that you could point to and be like, “No, trust us.”‘
Gormican, who also directed the feature, expressed that ‘we aren’t Spike Jonze,’ referencing the director’s feature Being John Malkovich, in which the actor of the same name portrayed himself.
Jonze also directed Cage in Adaptation, in which he played screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and his fictional twin brother Donald.
Gormican then stated that, although many studios were interested in the project, most were concerned about the star’s commitment to the film.
Making deals: Etten recalled that ‘we were told that Nick has done these projects before and he’s not wild about Nick as Nick. And we weren’t two guys who had a huge body of work that you could point to and be like, “No, trust us”‘
Making it work: Gormican then stated that, although many studios were interested in the project, most were concerned about the star’s commitment to the film; he is seen with Cage and Etten earlier this month
He recalled that ‘there’s an asterisk on all of this, meaning, if he doesn’t want to do it, your sale goes away. Like, “By the way, we don’t want this f****** thing if he’s not in it.”‘
The filmmaker also remarked that Cage’s involvement with the project was integral to its success.
‘There is no other version of it. When he was reading the script it was like this sort of double anxiety. It’s not like if he doesn’t do it, we’ll offer it to somebody else. It was gone,’ he stated.
Etten went on to note that a set of alternatives for the actor were later brought up during the development process.
No substitutions: The filmmaker also remarked that Cage’s involvement with the project was integral to its success
‘The only actually good idea — I don’t know whose it was — was to have either Christian Bale or Daniel Day-Lewis playing Nick Cage,’ he recalled.
Gormican then spoke about why he and his collaborator were interested in the personality of the movie’s lead.
‘There’s an authenticity, and he feels like a person who just does what he wants without regard to how it’s going to be received.’
The Massive Weight of Unbearable Talent was centered on a fictional version of Cage being forced to rescue his ex-wife and daughter after becoming involved with the CIA while attending a billionaire’s birthday party.
Storyline: The Massive Weight of Unbearable Talent was centered on a fictional version of Cage being forced to rescue his ex-wife and daughter after becoming involved with the CIA while attending a billionaire’s birthday party
Other performers who appeared in the feature include Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish and Neil Patrick Harris.
The feature premiered at the South by Southwest festival in March, and it was given a wide release in the United States this past Friday.
The flick has since received widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom praised Cage’s performance.
Doing well: The flick has since received widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom praised Cage’s performance
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