5 Takeaways from Nicolas Cage’s ‘Ask Me Anything’ Session on Reddit

As part of the promotions for his upcoming film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, actor Nicolas Cage engaged with fans through an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on the social news website Reddit.

From talking about channelling Adam West in Kick-Ass, to revealing that bees are his favourite insect, while he has a particular dislike for praying mantis, Cage’s quirky interaction covered all sorts of topics and soon began trending on other social media platforms as well.

Twitter users shared screenshots from the AMA session with the actor, who is also known for appearing in films like Ghost Rider, and some even called his replies “pure and perfect.”

Post the AMA session, moderators of the reddit group said that Cage’s session got a bigger response than Barrack Obama’s. Reacting to this, the actor said, “I have been blessed to have a very loyal group of film enthusiasts who stuck by me through thick and thin, and it means a lot to me. And by the way, that (the AMA) was the highlight of my day.”

Silverscreen India brings to you five takeaways from Cage’s AMA session:

His Dream Role is Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo

Cage’s dream is to play Captain Nemo on screen. In response to a question about his dream role, the actor said, “I would like to play Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo because of the character’s love of the ocean. I share that with him.

Nemo is a fictional character created by the French novelist. The author of classic adventure novels such as Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Verne first introduced Nemo in the 1870 novel Twenty Thousand leagues Under the Sea. The character has also appeared in the works of other writers and their film adaptations, such as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). Interestingly, Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah had essayed the role of the sailor in the 2003 movie.

Three Films of His That Cage Would Like to Have Preserved

When asked which three films of his he would choose to have preserved for posterity, Cage picked Bringing Out the Dead, Pig, and Leaving Las Vegas. It is to be noted that Cage earned an Oscar for his performance in Mike Figgis’ Leaving Las Vegas. Cage’s character in the film, Ben Sanderson, is an alcoholic who moves to Las Vegas after losing his job and family. The film is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by John O’Brien.

Cage’s Favourite Among His Performances

Cage revealed that his portrayal of Robin Feld in Michael Sarnoski’s Pig is his all-time favourite among his performances. The film is about a lone truffle hunter who must visit his past in order to save his kidnapped pig. In a separate response, Cage explained that with Pig, he was ” interested in returning to more quiet, naturalistic style of film performance, having done a series of more operatic performance styles.” He went on to liken Robin’s self-imposed isolation and grief with the feeling of loss and isolation that people experienced worldwide due to the coronavirus pandemic, and said it was possibly why the film struck a chord with the audience.

Directors Cage Would Like to Work With

“I would love to work with Christopher Nolan. I would love to work with Ari Aster, I would love to work with Robert Eggers. Spike Lee too.” This was Cage’s response to a question about the directors he would like to work with.

Two Films That He Never Gets Bored Of

Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979) and Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film Spirited Away (2001) are the two films that Cage said he can watch over and over again and still not get bored of. While Apocalypse Now is a war drama, Spirited Away is a fantasy adventure about 10-year-old Chihiro, who must work to free her parents who are turned into pigs after a supernatural encounter.