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Feature by: Jack Foley
NICOLAS Cage is, by his own admission, an actor that has 'taken
chances that have been uncomfortable' for both himself and for
audiences. Yet he makes no apologies for it.
From the career highs of his Oscar winner, Leaving Las Vegas,
and action-adventures Face/Off, The Rock and Con Air, there have
been lows, such as the soft porn sex flick, Zandalee, or the oddball
comedy, Vampire's Kiss.
What has remained important to the star, however, is 'staying
stimulated'.
"I never want to get too comfortable in anything I’m
doing," he explained, at a recent press conference for his
latest film, National Treasure.
"I see myself as very much a student of acting, and I always
see the chance to grow in some way. I’ve taken chances that
have been uncomfortable for me, and I think at times for audiences,
and I think that’s a good thing."
Indeed, his decision to try out the action genre was a big one
at the time, given that he had previously established himself
as a strong character actor, in performance-driven pieces such
as Leaving Las Vegas, Red Rock West and Wild At Heart.
"It was uncomfortable in the beginning, but it’s something
that’s kept me on my toes, and so long as I stay fresh with
it, if I can stay interested – and I have – then I
think I can keep audiences interested as well."
National Treasure marks Cage's sixth proper action film and his
fourth collaboration with producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, following
successful turns in The Rock, Con Air and Gone In 60 Seconds.
In it, he stars as modern-day treasure hunter, Benjamin Franklin
Gates, the latest in a family of treasure hunters, who believes
that the nation's Founding Fathers discovered the legendary treasure
of the Knights Templar and subsequently hid the clues to its location
all over the world.
One such clue is hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence
and it is up to Gates to steal it before it falls into the hands
of his rival, Sean Bean.
For Cage, the allure of the movie lay in its old-fashioned roots,
as well as the opportunity to appear in a tuxedo.
He laughs as he recalls: "At the time the script came to
me, there was another project I was considering. In one, the character
was working in a gas station wearing overalls, and the other character
was wearing a tuxedo. So I thought I’d rather wear the tuxedo
and steal The Declaration of Independence!
"It kind of helped me understand the tone of the movie,
because I did think of pictures like To Catch A Thief and Charade,
and the stars back then who had this lighter touch with these
incredible caper movies. They’d be dressed very elegantly,
and they’d be very playful and comedic.
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"That’s when everything
came into focus for me, because I met with director, Jon Turteltaub,
in Jerry’s office and I said I was a little apprehensive
about it; I wasn’t sure if it was too far fetched.
"But they said the very thing I was worried about was what
would make it exciting, because he’s audacious, he’s
bold and he gets to wear a tuxedo.
"It all came into focus at that point - you give yourself
over to the ride, to the fun of the movie and try not to take
it too literally. Just get caught up in the adventure of it."
Certainly, the movie has captured the imagination of US cinema-goers,
where it remained at the top spot for three weeks, and furthered
the box office endurance of the Cage-Bruckheimer partnership.
Yet Cage is equally candid about the reasons why he feels drawn
to Bruckheimer so often, especially when it comes to working in
the action genre.
"There’s no one who makes them better than Jerry...
the four times I’ve worked with him, I've been very comfortable,
because he gets the best people in the business to write and sculpt
the material.
"He also has very independently-spirited taste with actors,
and he encourages actors to explore their characters and allows
you, as a partner, to bring ideas to the table.
"So when you take someone who has an organic and honest
vision, which happens to also appeal to many people, and you combine
that with actors who have unpredictable and unusual tastes, you
get a pretty unique spark."
Looking ahead, it is clear that Cage is keeping himself busy
and interested as an actor.
He has recently completed the Gore Verbinski drama, The Weather
Man, alongside Michael Caine and Hope Davis, and will be appearing
in another action-thriller, Lord of War, alongside Ethan Hawke
and Ian Holm, next Summer.
He also shed light on the status of two more projects he has
consistently been linked with.
"I had a very successful conversation recently with Neil
LaBute, who is the writer and director of The Wicker Man. It’s
something that I think may happen very quickly.
"And Ghost Rider is a project that I’ve been linked
to for about four years now, it seems. I love the character, I
think he’s a fascinating character, complex.
"As far as superhero films go, cinematically he’s
going to be the most interesting character ever in a movie. He’s
cinematically the most natural fit. But it’s still something
we’re talking about."
Beyond that, who knows, but one thing's for certain, Cage will
continue to entertain and, to a certain degree, frustrate audiences
for some time to come.
As he openly admits: "I don’t have an identity, I
think my identity is that I don’t have one, and I don’t
want to be put in a box – I need to stay uncomfortable,
I need to stay challenged and to keep interested."
Long may that continue.
National Treasure opens on Boxing Day.
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