Nicolas Cage has spoken out about his outstanding performance as Dracula in Renfield and if he will ever play James Bond.
The spotlight moves to his faithful servant, Robert Montague Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), in the modern take on the frightening vampire, which will be released on April 14, while the Oscar-winner plays as his ever-demanding, arrogant, bloodthirsty master.
Speaking at the New York premiere of his latest film, held at MoMA, he explained how he entered into the psyche of one of history’s most terrifying figures.
‘Whenever I play a character, whether it’s in a dramatic movie or whether it’s horror or fantasy, like Renfield, I still approach it the same way,’ he told us. ‘I try to understand the character, try to find the truth in the character.
‘I always believed, even from reading the book, that Dracula was a study of love in exile, not “and”. Love in exile. That he is symbolic of unrequited love, and whenever you feel you’re not getting the love back, it’s almost as if you go bad.
‘Dracula is a character who has made a contract with dark forces, and he has this curse of eternal existence, in which he’s constantly getting his heart broken again and again.
‘To me, those are human experiences, but the Dracula character becomes a symbol of that.’
Nicolas has had one of the most diverse careers in Hollywood, garnering recognition for his parts in Con Air, the National Treasure trilogy, Gone in 60 Seconds, Leaving Las Vegas, and Face/Off, while Kick Ass remains a particular favourite for many.
Who could forget his performance as himself in last year’s superb Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent?
However, there is one part he would decline, saying that he has no ambition to portray James Bond.
When asked if we could ever imagine a Nicolas Cage 007, he instead suggested another moniker for the super-spy.
‘Oh, no, no, I’m not up for that! Bond is always British,’ he continued. ‘I know a lot of British actors play a lot of the American superheroes like Batman and Superman, but I have respect for Bond [and the British] version.
‘Any chance of Bond, for me, is long gone but I think Nicholas Hoult would be a great James Bond. I think he’d be perfect.’
We must do everything possible to make this happen.
Renfield is the pair’s second time working together, having previously portrayed father and son in 2005’s The Weatherman, when the Skins veteran was only 14 years old.
When they discussed their reunion, Nicolas couldn’t help but marvel at how far his friend had come in that time.
‘I never had any doubt and I’m not surprised whatsoever at the star he has subsequently become,’ he added. ‘When I worked with him on The Weatherman, he had so much poise and confidence as a film actor.
‘When I heard he was starring this, I was so excited to get back on set with him. In this case, I was supporting him and I could watch what he was doing.
‘He has a natural gift of comedic timing that just comes naturally to him. But he can also turn on a dime and be very vulnerable and tragic.
‘He really set the pace, I was watching where he was going and supporting him, I was matching that with him so it became almost like a dance.’
Renfield is in cinemas on April 14.
Source My Celebrity Life.
