Nicolas Cage turned down his Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent role four times before finally accepting. In the upcoming action comedy, the Oscar-winning actor plays a fictionalized version of himself that plays into the eccentricities of his long list of performances. A stellar ensemble cast joins Cage, including Afterparty's Tiffany Haddish, The Matrix Resurrections' Neil Patrick Harris, and The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal.
In writer-director Tom Gormican's The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, down-on-his-luck Nicolas Cage is paid $1 million to attend the birthday party of super-fan and Mexican drug kingpin Javi (Pedro Pascal). Set in Spain, the fictionalized version of Cage must revisit his past roles and relive his storied career in order to save his loved ones from danger. References to Cage's cult classics, such as a wax statue of his Face/Off character, Castor Troy, can be seen in the film's trailer.
In a THR interview, Nicholas Cage claims he rejected the role of himself multiple times. The Raising Arizona star says that he "turned it down three or four times" and that when he first heard the conceit of the film, he was somewhat offended.
"I wanted no part of it. But when I got Tom’s letter, then I thought, 'OK, he’s not just trying to mock so-called Nick Cage; there is a real interest in some of the earlier work.' His tone was more of a celebration of some of [the actor’s iconic onscreen] moments — like being at the bottom of the pool in Leaving Las Vegas or [using] the gold guns in Face/Off."
Cage was initially concerned that the version of himself in the film doesn't represent who he is in real life. But he came around to seeing it as sort of a love letter to his career. In the interview, Cage describes a stylized sequence that paid homage to some of his past performances such as racing in a Ford Mustang as Randall "Memphis" Raines from Gone in 60 Seconds and Cage's Academy Award-winning role of Ben Sanderson in Leaving Las Vegas. According to the actor, that sequence was unfortunately cut from the final version of the film.
Since Cage's 2009 financial issues — he owed the IRS over $14 million in back taxes — his career took an unlikely turn. In an effort to get back on his feet, the actor took an excessive amount of roles, from the forgettable hitman in Bangkok Assassin to the box-office dud that was The Sorcerer's Apprentice. But, in recent years, Cage has surprised audiences with his turn to more independent fare with psychedelic horror film Mandy, the H.P. Lovecraft sci-fi thriller Color Out of Space, and his most recent critically acclaimed drama, Pig, which currently sits at a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is shaping up to be another smash hit for the venerable actor. The film will premiere at SXSW on March 12.
Source: THR
