Nicolas Cage turned The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent down four times, so what made him change his mind?

Nicolas Cage smiles.Credit: Creative Commons

Nicolas Cage has been gracing screens with his iconic characters since the eighties and is still regarded as one of the best actors, his 2022 movie The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent being one of his most exciting movies for fans of Cage’s work, as this recent addition to his filmography is the ultimate role, channeling his most iconic characters in order to save himself from an obsessed fan.

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The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent is an action-packed comedy that stars Cage as himself, an actor facing financial ruin, who takes a $1 million dollar deal to attend a fan’s birthday party. Cage ends up being recruited by a CIA agent for a strange mission, which sees Cage having to play the role of a lifetime, channeling his most beloved characters, in order to save himself and his family.

Nicolas Cage’s most recent movie almost didn’t happen, however, because Cage wasn’t initially on board, turning down The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent four times before changing his mind. Cage is no stranger to saying what he really thinks of his movies: so what does he say about his latest movie role?

Nicolas Cage ‘Wanted No Part’ Of The Movie

Despite The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent being a movie about his fictionalized self, Nicolas Cage initially turned down the idea.

“I turned it down three or four times,” Cage told The Hollywood Reporter. “I wanted no part of it.”

It seemed that Cage had concerns that the comedy would be laughing at him, and not become the “homage” to his earlier works that it actually is. But it was when Cage received an impassioned letter from director Tom Gormican that he started to reconsider.

He told Hollywood Reporter that the letter made him think: “OK, [Gormicon’s] not just trying to mock so-called Nick Cage; there is a real interest in some of the earlier work.”

Why Did Nicolas Cage Change His Mind About The Film?

Cage also revealed what eventually sold the movie to him; it was an action sequence that would, unfortunately, be taken out of the movie.

“What really put the hook in me was a sequence that is no longer in the movie. It was a sequence where the Nick Cage character goes into a series of vignettes that are all stylized in the German expressionism of The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari. So there was a sequence in black and white that was a Gone in 60 Seconds race in a Mustang, there was the Leaving Las Vegas character in a hotel room,” Cage recalled.

“It was fun to make and cool to look at. Ultimately, the studio decided it was too far out for audiences.”

What seemed to help Cage agree to play the fictionalized version of himself was that the fake Cage and the real him have very little in common. The Hollywood Reporter asked him how close his real personality was to the character of Nick Cage, which Cage answered, “Not very close.”

“I always put my family first,” Cage said, pointing out that that was one of the main differences in the movie, “and I have turned down some enormous opportunities as a result of that.

When I was in a divorce situation [in 2001] I wouldn’t leave Weston to be in New Zealand for three years shooting The Lord of the Rings or The Matrix. My choice was always wanting to stay in L.A. and be with my son.”

What’s Next For Nicolas Cage?

Nicolas Cage has been in some amazing movies, such as Con Air, Face/Off, and National Treasure. Surprisingly, one of his highest-grossing films is the animated movie The Croods, earned over $573 million.

Cage has also starred in many bad movies, but every role has added to making the actor iconic, prolific, and a household name and the fact that The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent has been highly praised by critics and fans alike, and called one of his most accessible and hilarious action movies in a long time is a massive achievement. His 2021 film Pig also received critical acclaim, and a Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Actor nomination.

Nicolas Cage’s next movie will be Renfield, a dark fantasy horror-comedy, which will star Tolkien and Warm Bodies star Nicholas Hoult as Renfield, a henchman to Count Dracula, who will be played by Cage. Renfield is set to be released in 2023.