Nicolas Cage:A man with many sides
"Ghost Rider", a big screen adaptation of the same-name animation released early this month, has received rave reviews and already gained robust box office returns. Leading the cast is Nicolas Cage - an avid cartoon consumer. Having missed out on a number of chances to play cartoon heroes on the big screen, Cage made it a two-in-one scoop by getting to play one of his heroes.
Nicolas Cage is keen on collecting comic books. And "Ghost Rider" is one of his favorites. The animation drew its inspiration from Faust, giving it a strong religious bent.
Adapted from the animation, the movie tells the story of Johnny Blaze, a motorcyclist whose father has terminal cancer. In order to save his dying father, Johnny has to sell his soul to Mephistopheles, in return for his father's health. During the day, stunt cyclist Johnny is a real human. But when night falls, he becomes the Ghost Rider, blazing with fires from hell. Johnny's struggle is internal - how to control himself amidst an unpredictable world.
Nicolas Cage was born into an artistic family on the 1st January, 1964. His was christened Nicolas Kim Coppola. The son of comparative literature professor, August Coppola, and the nephew of noted director Francis Ford Coppola, he was able to be exposed to the art scene at an early age. He naturally developed an inclination towards drama and photography. At the tender age of 17, Nicolas Kim Coppola joined the movie circle as Nicolas Cage - using as inspiration for his name the comic book hero, Luke Cage, who suffers from depression and insecurity.
In 1984, Cage played the lead role in "Birdy" - a disturbing film about two friends returning from the Vietnam War. He drew the attention of both movie-goers and critics. Cage's performance was recognized at the Cannes Film Festival in 1985, and he walked away with the coveted Jury Prize. This paved the way for Cage's future success.
In 1990, Cage joined the cast of "Wild at Heart", which proved to be the turning point of his career. The movie, directed by David Lynch, gives a rather surrealist rendition of the weirdness of life. The scene in which Cage overacts Elvis-acolyte by singing the hit "Love Me Tender", has become a classic scene in movie history. "Wild at Heart" won the top prize at the 43rd Cannes Film Festival, and helped Cage to shake-off cries of nepotism towards his Coppola family.
1995 was a crucial year for Cage, when he appeared in "Leaving Las Vegas" - a small budget film of a mere 3-point-5 million dollars. He played an alcoholic writer set on committing suicide. Cage gave his heart and soul to the character, and was paid only one tenth of his usual salary. Cage's efforts finally paid off when he was awarded the Best Actor Oscar at the 68th Academy Awards.
Cage was determined not to rest on his laurels. With a golden Oscar statuette under his belt, Cage started to make his way into the action genre. 1997's "Con Air" and "Face Off" catapulted him to the status of Hollywood action star as well.
Over the years, Cage has gained a worldwide reputation for his performance in various movie genres, from art-house to blockbuster. However, in recent years the personal melancholy charm of the actor has been increasingly overshadowed by more and more stunning movie effects. Cage started to meander from more challenging genres to less subtle action blockbusters.
Cage understands that an actor cannot live in front of the camera and be surrounded by warm applause forever. He has indicated that he will gradually turn his attention to behind-the-camera roles, such as writing a screenplay.
The story of the musician Liberace is something Cage is interested in these days. Liberace is a sad example of a man struggling throughout his life, both materially and spiritually. Cage plans to direct the bio-pic, and also play the role of Liberace.
Nicolas Cage's quirky career
Actor Nicolas Cage's unconventional appearance makes him one of the least likely of contemporary Hollywood stars.
Born on 7 January, 1964, to a literature professor father and a dancer/choreographer mother, Cage was fascinated from an early age with the idea of being inside the television.
He would often escape into a world of his own making, performing shows with his brothers for the neighbours.
It was as a student at Beverly Hills High school that Cage gained his first recognition as an actor, winning a Best Actor award for an action film he devised and starred in.
Quirky
Cage made his film debut after dropping out of school at the age of 17.
It was a small part - in Amy Heckerling's 1982 classic, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Most of the film was cut, however, dashing Cage's hopes and leading to a job selling popcorn in a theatre.
But a job reading lines with actors auditioning for a role in his uncle Francis Ford Coppola's movie Rumble Fish landed him a role in the film.
A lead role in 1983's Valley Girl followed and Cage spent the remainder of the decade playing endearingly bizarre and quirky characters in films like Peggy Sue Got Married, Raising Arizona and Moonstruck.
The 1990s saw Cage take on a string of diverse roles ranging from a violent ex-con in David Lynch's Wild at Heart to a sweet-natured private eye in the romantic comedy Honeymoon in Vegas.
Mike Figgis' Leaving Las Vegas in 1995 saw him playing a dying alcoholic - a role which won him a Best Actor Oscar.
After winning his Oscar, Cage switched gear again - this time choosing to star in a series of big budget action films.
In 1996 he took the lead in the Alcatraz thriller The Rock and the following year he made Con Air and John Woo's Face Off.
In 1998 Cage made a return to sentimental romance with his performance as a love-struck angel in City of Angels, a remake of Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire.
Cage has since veered from playing a surveillance expert investigating the death of a woman in the porn industry in 8MM to a burnt-out paramedic in Martin Scorsese's Bring Out the Dead.
His one-time passion for method acting reached a personal limit when he smashed a street-vendor's remote-control car to achieve the sense of rage needed for his gangster character in The Cotton Club.
Romantic
Cage is reported to be a hopeless romantic, despite his short-lived second marriage to Lisa-Marie Presley.
He met his first wife, actress Patricia Arquette, in 1987 in a Los Angeles deli.
After a few hours he announced he was going to marry her, but she declined.
He insisted that she put him on a quest to prove his love for her so she wrote a list of impossible requests on a napkin.
They included a black orchid, an autograph from known recluse JD Salinger and a wedding dress from a Tibetan tribe.
Cage promptly presented Arquette with a spray-painted orchid and a letter from Salinger.
The pair had a brief relationship but split up. They were reunited - and married - eight years later after a chance meeting.
Cage said at the time that the two were "definitely soul mates".
They later divorced, citing "irreconcilable differences".
Nicolas Cage tries, but too bad -- the 'Ghost Rider' can't save his own movie
Ghost Rider: Drama. Starring Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Peter Fonda, Sam Elliott and Wes Bentley. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson. (PG-13. 114 minutes. At Bay Area theaters. To see complete movie listings and show times, and to buy tickets for select theaters, go to sfgate.com/movies.)
It's fascinating to watch an actor who thinks he's in a good film when he's really in a bad one. Perhaps Nicolas Cage was trying to elevate "Ghost Rider" with the power of his performance. Or maybe he had no idea how silly his character would look when the special-effects people were done -- as if someone poured lighter fluid on the skeleton from your seventh-grade science class."Ghost Rider" has everything you don't want from your superhero movie, including lack of logic, boring action scenes, bad acting in the supporting performances, a brutally slow 114-minute running time and cringe-worthy dialogue.
The movie also, unfortunately, does a lot to undo the recent goodwill that "Batman Begins," "Sin City," "A History of Violence" and "V for Vendetta" have built toward this underappreciated genre of films. If "300" doesn't kick supreme butt next month, people might ditch "graphic novel" from their lingo and start calling them "comic books" again.
"Ghost Rider" sticks pretty close to the cult favorite comic, which focuses on the story of Johnny Blaze, an Evel Knievel-like stunt rider who sells his soul to the devil and turns into a motorcycle-riding yule log whenever it's dark out and he's in the presence of evil.
After a long beginning that covers how Blaze got his powers -- easily the best part of the movie -- he becomes a "bounty hunter for rogue demons," including a devil-spawn named Black Heart. Rolling through the streets on a flaming bike, breaking windows and scarring pavement along the way, Blaze tries to control his powers and make some good out of his bad situation.
It's close to the classic werewolf story, except with biker and Western themes, which should be really awesome. Unfortunately, writer-director Mark Steven Johnson's dialogue is Hallmark-horrible ("He may have my soul. But he doesn't have my spirit!"), the romance is filled with "Three's Company"-style misunderstandings, the effects are occasionally ridiculous and the lack of logic is often distracting.
(Without pulling out actuarial tables, it seems sort of pointless when the Ghost Rider causes approximately $50 million in property damage just to rid the world of one mugger.)
At least Cage does everything right, taking his already polished Elvis imitation and tweaking it a bit, making the character eccentric -- he listens to the Carpenters and watches too much bad TV -- while still seeming cool and heroic. People criticize Cage for playing too many action characters after winning a best actor Oscar for "Leaving Las Vegas," but it's hard to find flaws with his actual performances. He single-handedly makes this movie worth watching for free on cable.
As good as Cage is in "Ghost Rider," the rest of the actors are lacking. Peter Fonda plays the devil, and while the "Easy Rider" reference might have been kind of cool the first time you saw a "Ghost Rider" commercial, he's horribly miscast.
The hotness of Eva Mendes as Blaze's love Roxanne is impossible to deny. (And impossible to miss -- the camera seems to focus on her cleavage every time she's in a scene. I'm not 100 percent certain her head was ever in the movie.) But she's even more distracting than Fonda, playing one of the worst TV news reporters ever. Even KRON would probably fire her for incompetence.
Also for your Razzie Award consideration is Wes Bentley as the main bad guy, Black Heart, although to be fair, much of the problem is his makeup. Robert Smith of the Cure is cool, but he doesn't have the type of look that strikes fear in audiences. Everyone who watched "X-Men" knows that the best graphic novel bad guys look like James Hetfield from "Metallica."
-- Advisory: This film contains violence, adult language and some disturbing images. Example: In one scene, Nicolas Cage appears to be wearing Ricardo Montalban's fake chest from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," which really should be hanging in the Smithsonian where it belongs.
xref: kicker: ReviewThis article appeared on page F - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Nicolas Cage's outlook: Mostly sunny
By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY
Nicolas Cage's character in The Weather Man can no more control the problems in his fractured family than he can control the winds and snows that frost his city.
The dark comedy, which arrives in theaters Friday, is about a man who can't make things work with his estranged wife, disconnected son and boorish daughter. Meanwhile, he excels at a job he considers frivolous.
"I'd been looking for quite some time to play in a family drama about the different things that can happen to people in divorce," Cage says. "But I didn't want it to be a Hallmark card."
The Oscar winner, 41, saw elements of himself in the hapless Dave Spritz, who playfully lobs a snowball at his ex-wife (Hope Davis) and ends up injuring her eye.
"Obviously, he's been through a few marriages, so there's a lot of his real life that I think he brought to the part," Weather Man director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) says.
The actor had an on-again, off-again marriage to Medium actress Patricia Arquette for six years and was married to Lisa Marie Presley for three months in 2002.
Wed to third wife Alice since July 2004, Cage says The Weather Man was a kind of therapy for his relationship with Presley. Their divorce became final last year.
"I was channeling any kind of pain or residual feelings from my divorce that I'd gone through and try to turn it into a positive," Cage says. "It's that feeling of wanting to keep a family together and trying to keep things from falling apart, which doesn't always work."
Cage's weatherman also has an awkward relationship with his father (Michael Caine), an author whose accomplishments dwarf those of his son.
But Cage says that in real life, he has solid relationships with his father, August Coppola, a literature professor, and his oldest son, 15-year-old Weston, from a relationship with model/actress Kristina Fulton.
Weston has "a tremendous amount of dynamic energy," Cage says. "He could easily kick my (butt) at any moment. He's a black belt, and he's going to be 6-foot-6.
"I wanted to get to that next step in movies where I was playing fathers with the experience I have," Cage adds.
Cage says his relationship with Alice, 21, a former waitress whom he calls "an angel," grounds him. She gave birth to their son, Kal-el, Oct. 3. "I don't think I could have done these last two or three movies if she wasn't there," says Cage, who did last winter's family hit National Treasure and Lord of War and is now working with director Oliver Stone on a 9/11 drama. "I never really experienced that kind of support. It was the perfect dynamic to bring a child into the world."
So what's behind naming his son Kal-el, Superman's birth name?
Cage, who took his stage surname from the Marvel Comics superhero Luke Cage, says he has "a warm spot in my heart" for comics, because that's how he learned to read.
"We wanted a name that was exotic, was American and stood for something good. So Kal-el was a name we came up with, and then Kal for short."
"I'd been looking for quite some time to play in a family drama about the different things that can happen to people in divorce," Cage says. "But I didn't want it to be a Hallmark card."
The Oscar winner, 41, saw elements of himself in the hapless Dave Spritz, who playfully lobs a snowball at his ex-wife (Hope Davis) and ends up injuring her eye.
"Obviously, he's been through a few marriages, so there's a lot of his real life that I think he brought to the part," Weather Man director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) says.
The actor had an on-again, off-again marriage to Medium actress Patricia Arquette for six years and was married to Lisa Marie Presley for three months in 2002.
Wed to third wife Alice since July 2004, Cage says The Weather Man was a kind of therapy for his relationship with Presley. Their divorce became final last year.
"I was channeling any kind of pain or residual feelings from my divorce that I'd gone through and try to turn it into a positive," Cage says. "It's that feeling of wanting to keep a family together and trying to keep things from falling apart, which doesn't always work."
Cage's weatherman also has an awkward relationship with his father (Michael Caine), an author whose accomplishments dwarf those of his son.
But Cage says that in real life, he has solid relationships with his father, August Coppola, a literature professor, and his oldest son, 15-year-old Weston, from a relationship with model/actress Kristina Fulton.
Weston has "a tremendous amount of dynamic energy," Cage says. "He could easily kick my (butt) at any moment. He's a black belt, and he's going to be 6-foot-6.
"I wanted to get to that next step in movies where I was playing fathers with the experience I have," Cage adds.
Cage says his relationship with Alice, 21, a former waitress whom he calls "an angel," grounds him. She gave birth to their son, Kal-el, Oct. 3. "I don't think I could have done these last two or three movies if she wasn't there," says Cage, who did last winter's family hit National Treasure and Lord of War and is now working with director Oliver Stone on a 9/11 drama. "I never really experienced that kind of support. It was the perfect dynamic to bring a child into the world."
So what's behind naming his son Kal-el, Superman's birth name?
Cage, who took his stage surname from the Marvel Comics superhero Luke Cage, says he has "a warm spot in my heart" for comics, because that's how he learned to read.
"We wanted a name that was exotic, was American and stood for something good. So Kal-el was a name we came up with, and then Kal for short."
Nicolas Cage Does Stint As Family Man
(CBS) Nicolas Cage plays a reluctant Family Man in his new movie. CBS News Entertainment Contributor Laurie Hibberd spoke with Cage about his role as a high-powered executive who gets to see what his life would have been like if he'd married his college sweetheart and became a New Jersey father.
"It was the first time I ever had to play somebody in an alternate universe, really," said Cage. "And to go through the transitions of trying to understand what's happening from Manhattan Jack, who is this wealthy, playboy businessman, who wakes up one morning and realizes he's in bed with his college sweetheart and he's married and he has kids is tricky."
The director, Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) said Cage was great at appearing real in a very surreal environment. Perhaps Cage had an advantage because he grew up in Los Angeles, a place considered surreal by many people. How does Cage stay so real in such an environment?
"Well, I've been doing it since I was 17. And now if it were different that would be surreal. So now this just seems normal," said Cage.
Cage's normal life has had its ups and downs. He is in the process of divorcing his wife of five years, actress Patricia Arquette. Yet he manages to create some harmony with his on-screen wife, played by Tea Leoni. A scene in The Family Man involving a piece of cake says everything about their marriage.
"We auditioned with that scene. We knew then -- we were putting the cake in each other's faces -- we were going to have some laughs. It was going to be a good time," said Cage.
For his next movie, Adaptation, Cage plays a guy named Charlie and Charlie's imaginary twin brother. He describes them as "two very sexually frustrated, fat guys."
Cage is "contractually obligated to gain 15 pounds" for the role. This might be license to enjoy life for some people, but Cage says, "That's going to be rough."
"I like to exercise. I feel better when I work out," he explains. "The exercise is really a way that I keep everything kind of together. That morning ritual of exercise. Sort of blow out the stress. I'll have to find something else to do...eat pizza."
The Family Man gives Cage's character a glimpse of his life if he weren't a New York executive. What would the glimpse look like in Cage's own personal life if he had chosen another path?
He recalls that when he was starting out as a young actor, "I was going to go on two more auditions and if the door got slammed on my face, I was going to be a fisherman. We'll never know. What if?"
Cage, the son of a literature professor (his father) and a dancer/choreographer, was born in Long Beach, California, in 1964. His academic record is not exemplary. According to Hollywood.com he was expelled from one elementary school and later dopped out of high school at the age of 17.
It's common knowledge that Cage changed his last name to Cage from Coppola because he didn't want to be accused of leaning on his famous director uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, in his acting career.
Cage's first movie was Fast Times At Ridgemont High. Some of his best known movies areMoonstruck, Raising Arizona and Peggy Sue Got Married. He won an Oscar for his portrayal of an alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas. Cage is known for his sometimes-quirky movie roles.
Bel Air (2000)
Gone In Sixty Seconds (2000)
Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)
8MM (1999)
Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
City Of Angels (1998)
Snake Eyes (1998)
Welcome To Hollywood (1998)
Con Air (1997)
Face/Off (1997)
The Rock (1996)
Kiss of Death (1995)
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Guarding Tess (1994)
It Could Happen to You (1994)
Trapped in Paradise (1994)
Amos and Andrew (1993)
Deadfall (1993)
Red Rock West (1993)
American Heroes and Legends - Davy Crockett (1992)
Davy Crockett (1992)
Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)
Zandalee (1991)
Firebirds (1990)
Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken Hearted (1990)
Wild at Heart (1990)
Tempo di Uccidere (1989)
Vampire's Kiss (1989)
Never on Tuesday (1988)
Moonstruck (1987)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Boy in Blue (1986)
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
Birdy (1984)
Racing with the Moon (1984)
The Cotton Club (1984)
Rumble Fish (1983)
Valley Girl (1983)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
"It was the first time I ever had to play somebody in an alternate universe, really," said Cage. "And to go through the transitions of trying to understand what's happening from Manhattan Jack, who is this wealthy, playboy businessman, who wakes up one morning and realizes he's in bed with his college sweetheart and he's married and he has kids is tricky."
The director, Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) said Cage was great at appearing real in a very surreal environment. Perhaps Cage had an advantage because he grew up in Los Angeles, a place considered surreal by many people. How does Cage stay so real in such an environment?
"Well, I've been doing it since I was 17. And now if it were different that would be surreal. So now this just seems normal," said Cage.
Cage's normal life has had its ups and downs. He is in the process of divorcing his wife of five years, actress Patricia Arquette. Yet he manages to create some harmony with his on-screen wife, played by Tea Leoni. A scene in The Family Man involving a piece of cake says everything about their marriage.
"We auditioned with that scene. We knew then -- we were putting the cake in each other's faces -- we were going to have some laughs. It was going to be a good time," said Cage.
For his next movie, Adaptation, Cage plays a guy named Charlie and Charlie's imaginary twin brother. He describes them as "two very sexually frustrated, fat guys."
Cage is "contractually obligated to gain 15 pounds" for the role. This might be license to enjoy life for some people, but Cage says, "That's going to be rough."
"I like to exercise. I feel better when I work out," he explains. "The exercise is really a way that I keep everything kind of together. That morning ritual of exercise. Sort of blow out the stress. I'll have to find something else to do...eat pizza."
The Family Man gives Cage's character a glimpse of his life if he weren't a New York executive. What would the glimpse look like in Cage's own personal life if he had chosen another path?
He recalls that when he was starting out as a young actor, "I was going to go on two more auditions and if the door got slammed on my face, I was going to be a fisherman. We'll never know. What if?"
Cage, the son of a literature professor (his father) and a dancer/choreographer, was born in Long Beach, California, in 1964. His academic record is not exemplary. According to Hollywood.com he was expelled from one elementary school and later dopped out of high school at the age of 17.
It's common knowledge that Cage changed his last name to Cage from Coppola because he didn't want to be accused of leaning on his famous director uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, in his acting career.
Cage's first movie was Fast Times At Ridgemont High. Some of his best known movies areMoonstruck, Raising Arizona and Peggy Sue Got Married. He won an Oscar for his portrayal of an alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas. Cage is known for his sometimes-quirky movie roles.
Bel Air (2000)
Gone In Sixty Seconds (2000)
Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)
8MM (1999)
Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
City Of Angels (1998)
Snake Eyes (1998)
Welcome To Hollywood (1998)
Con Air (1997)
Face/Off (1997)
The Rock (1996)
Kiss of Death (1995)
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Guarding Tess (1994)
It Could Happen to You (1994)
Trapped in Paradise (1994)
Amos and Andrew (1993)
Deadfall (1993)
Red Rock West (1993)
American Heroes and Legends - Davy Crockett (1992)
Davy Crockett (1992)
Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)
Zandalee (1991)
Firebirds (1990)
Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken Hearted (1990)
Wild at Heart (1990)
Tempo di Uccidere (1989)
Vampire's Kiss (1989)
Never on Tuesday (1988)
Moonstruck (1987)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Boy in Blue (1986)
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
Birdy (1984)
Racing with the Moon (1984)
The Cotton Club (1984)
Rumble Fish (1983)
Valley Girl (1983)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Car Crash on Nick Cage Set
Tourists in NYC got an up close and personal look at the filming of a movie chase scene this morning – probably a closer look than they wanted, in fact. During filming for a car chase for Nicholas Cage's new movie The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a Ferrari jumped the curb and hit the entrance of a Sbarro in Times Square.
Two people were hurt, The New York Post reports, but it appears they will recover just fine from their minor injuries.
The incident happened around 1 a.m. this morning, during a scene which involved the Ferrari passing several cars as it chased a Mercedes down a closed-off Seventh Avenue
Mark Watkins, a tourist from Birmingham, England, watched everything go down from the top of the new TKTS booth.
"A black Ferrari and a silver Mercedes were chasing each other," he tells the paper. "The Ferrari took a route down the center of the road, swerving between cars. The Mercedes took the outside lanes. The Ferrari took a sharp right to the left and lost it, swerving across the lanes, taking out a lamppost and a news stand. One lady was knocked to the ground and a lamppost landed directly on top of a chap."
A customer who was inside the restaurant said a manager inside "told a couple to get back."
"Next thing you know it jumps the sidewalk and smashes the door," she said. "The manager just started freaking out and told everyone to get out.
Nicholas Cage Has Superhero Fun
Nicolas Cage named his three year-old sun Kal-El after Superman, and he's passed his love of comics on to his son!
During a visit to the set of The Sorcerer's Apprentice,Nicolas, 45, began playing "The Incredible Hulk" with his little son, a source tells OK!.
The actor began saying to Kal-El, "Exposed to a blast of gamma rays, he becomes ... THE HULK!" while father and son growled and roared and mimed transforming into the raging superhuman green giant together.
"It was really adorable," says the onlooker
Nicolas Cage Buys Island
Nicolas Cage has bought a second island in the Bahamas, after selling his luxury Malibu, California, home for nearly $10 million
Cage spent a reported $3 million on the 40-plus-acre getaway, which he plans to turn into a romantic hideaway for him and wife Alice, who he married in 2004.
It's the second time the actor has bought island property in the Caribbean region - in 2000 he bought another Bahamian island.
The closest I can get to my own island is the Islands down the street for some chili cheese fries and a Maui burger.
Cage spent a reported $3 million on the 40-plus-acre getaway, which he plans to turn into a romantic hideaway for him and wife Alice, who he married in 2004.
It's the second time the actor has bought island property in the Caribbean region - in 2000 he bought another Bahamian island.
The closest I can get to my own island is the Islands down the street for some chili cheese fries and a Maui burger.
Nicolas Cage Never Likes To Be Away From FAamily
Nicolas Cage shows off wife Alice Kim during the Knowing premiere.
Nicolas Cage and wifeAlice Kim add intrigue to the Knowing special screening, which takes place Monday at NYC’s AMC Loews Lincoln Square.
After she heads into the theater post-TV interviews, Nic returns for the rest of us.
Why do they make a good couple?
“I’m sorry, what?” he asks.
“Why do you and your wife make a good couple?” I say.
“She’s here, yes. Why is she here?”
“Why are you two perfect for each other?” I rephrase.
“You know something? I think we need to have more time to answer that question.”
Hmm. Even though Nic, 45, evades the question, he’s generally an affable guy who brought his sons Weston, 18, and Kal-el, 3, to the movie set.
“It’s interesting for awhile,” the thrice-wed actor says. “One’s 18, the other’s 3 ½, so it’s a new experience for one, and not such a new experience for the other.”
He continues, “It’s more enjoyable for me to have my family with me when I’m working. I never like to be too far away from my family. If I’m able to do the work I do, it’s because of them.”
For Nic, his care and concern extends beyond his family. His worried side came out while filming the thriller that hits theaters March 20.
“There was a plane crash sequence in the one shot, which was a tracking shot, where the people were being lit on fire,” he explains. “They were stunt people, but they’re still people, and I was generally worried for them because if I made a mistake, then I had to start from the beginning and light them on fire again. When you see the movie, I’m truly scared that somebody’s going to get hurt. Thank God nobody did.”
During their downtime, he took kid costar Chandler Canterbury, 10, to the zoo.
“Nicolas was very fun,” he tells me. “Me and him got to bond a lot. We went to the zoo, and we got to see a lot of cool animals. I liked the koala.”
Lucky Chandler got to know his son Kal-el.
“He was very cute and fun to play with,” he tells me. “Me and him played Follow The Leader.”
Rose Byrne, who also appears in the flick, shares her thoughts on the Sex and the City sequel.
“There’s another one?” she says in her Aussie accent. “Maybe they should go to space. I think that would be good. Or they have to save the end of the world. Just mix it up.”
Keke Palmer and Jill Hennessy are among guests taking in the special screening. How does mom of two Jill spend her free time?
“Now that it’s spring, we actually go outside. We go to parks, we skateboard, try having playdates with other friends.”
How does Jill deal with the pressure to be thin?
“I think the more pressure you put on yourself, the more unhappy you’re going to be. Life is so short. If you want it, enjoy. If you want to have a piece of cake, enjoy it. Don’t hurt yourself over it. You’ve gotta enjoy the moment while you can. Part of that is going out and being physical. You’ve gotta eat, too.”
After she heads into the theater post-TV interviews, Nic returns for the rest of us.
Why do they make a good couple?
“I’m sorry, what?” he asks.
“Why do you and your wife make a good couple?” I say.
“She’s here, yes. Why is she here?”
“Why are you two perfect for each other?” I rephrase.
“You know something? I think we need to have more time to answer that question.”
Hmm. Even though Nic, 45, evades the question, he’s generally an affable guy who brought his sons Weston, 18, and Kal-el, 3, to the movie set.
“It’s interesting for awhile,” the thrice-wed actor says. “One’s 18, the other’s 3 ½, so it’s a new experience for one, and not such a new experience for the other.”
He continues, “It’s more enjoyable for me to have my family with me when I’m working. I never like to be too far away from my family. If I’m able to do the work I do, it’s because of them.”
For Nic, his care and concern extends beyond his family. His worried side came out while filming the thriller that hits theaters March 20.
“There was a plane crash sequence in the one shot, which was a tracking shot, where the people were being lit on fire,” he explains. “They were stunt people, but they’re still people, and I was generally worried for them because if I made a mistake, then I had to start from the beginning and light them on fire again. When you see the movie, I’m truly scared that somebody’s going to get hurt. Thank God nobody did.”
During their downtime, he took kid costar Chandler Canterbury, 10, to the zoo.
“Nicolas was very fun,” he tells me. “Me and him got to bond a lot. We went to the zoo, and we got to see a lot of cool animals. I liked the koala.”
Lucky Chandler got to know his son Kal-el.
“He was very cute and fun to play with,” he tells me. “Me and him played Follow The Leader.”
Rose Byrne, who also appears in the flick, shares her thoughts on the Sex and the City sequel.
“There’s another one?” she says in her Aussie accent. “Maybe they should go to space. I think that would be good. Or they have to save the end of the world. Just mix it up.”
Keke Palmer and Jill Hennessy are among guests taking in the special screening. How does mom of two Jill spend her free time?
“Now that it’s spring, we actually go outside. We go to parks, we skateboard, try having playdates with other friends.”
How does Jill deal with the pressure to be thin?
“I think the more pressure you put on yourself, the more unhappy you’re going to be. Life is so short. If you want it, enjoy. If you want to have a piece of cake, enjoy it. Don’t hurt yourself over it. You’ve gotta enjoy the moment while you can. Part of that is going out and being physical. You’ve gotta eat, too.”
Nine More Injured on Nicolas Cage's Movie Set
Nicolas Cage’s current movie The Scorcer’s Apprentice is a dangerous set to be a part of! Nine more people have been injured after an action sequence went terribly wrong.
On Wednesday morning, an SUV smashed into a parked car near the set in Times Square. It was meant to crash into a set taxi cab, but the driver lost control and crashed into the wrong car, causing both vehicles to jump a curb where crew members were sitting. Nine people were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
All but 2 people have been released from the hospital. The SUV driver isn’t facing any criminal charges, and the police are ruling it an accident.
Even the crew members were shocked. One crew member said, "Twice in 3 days? At least this time it wasn't our fault."
They need to take it easy on that set! Can’t they just work some magic in post production to avoid more injuries??
Even the crew members were shocked. One crew member said, "Twice in 3 days? At least this time it wasn't our fault."
They need to take it easy on that set! Can’t they just work some magic in post production to avoid more injuries??
Nicolas Cage:Next
Director: Lee Tamahori
Writers: (WGA):Gary Goldman (screenplay) and
Jonathan Hensleigh (screenplay) …
Jonathan Hensleigh (screenplay) …
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel, Thomas Kretschmann, Tory Kittles, Jose Zuniga as, Jim Beaver, Jason Butler Harner, Michael Trucco, Enzo Cilenti, Laetitia Danielle, Nicolas Pajon, Peter Falk
The film’s translation in Russia is “The Prophet”
All three helicopters (2 black, one white) are Eurocopter (nee Aerospatiale) AS-350 Ecureuils (Squirrels). The N-numbers were all sequential as well - N350SC, N351SC, and N352SC.
All three helicopters (2 black, one white) are Eurocopter (nee Aerospatiale) AS-350 Ecureuils (Squirrels). The N-numbers were all sequential as well - N350SC, N351SC, and N352SC.
In the scene where Nicolas Cage is zapping through TV channels, he stops at one showing the movie Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), leaving it on for the FBI to listen to.
The plot of “Dr. Strangelove” is about a rogue general attempting to start a nuclear holocaust with a wayward nuke. An obvious reference to the nuke in Next (2007).
The Cliffhanger motel is actually a restaurant located on Highway 18 near Crestline, CA, in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Nicolas Cage:Knowing
Director: Alex Proyas
Writers: Yne Douglas Pearson, Juliet Snowden
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Chandler Canterbury, Rose Byrne, D.G. Maloney, Lara Robinson, Nadia Townsend and much more
Nicolas Cage the professor (John Koestler) found a little box accidentally whitch had been buryed 50 years before.
At this moment he did not understand the meaning of the secret code and message in the box , however when Koestler find out the accurate secret then he understand it is precise information about happening circumstance which come true after writing,
including natural disaster and the melodramatic last 50 years, and that is wery strange to keep an eye on.
A man who run into a code, Nicolas Cage plays that predicts major disasters in the sci-fi thriller ‘Knowing,’ in theaters everywhere today, but would he want to have access to this knowledge in real life, who knows, do you?
Nicolas: “If it came to preventing an accident with one of my children, yeah, I want to know.” “If I were to know, let’s just say I’d like to be selective about it,” Nicolas tells ET.
In ‘Knowing Nicolas, containing terrifying predictions about the future, he sets out to prevent them from coming true — at the risk of his own life and perhaps other. ‘ Nicolas plays a professor and single dad who come across onto some alarming circumstances when he examines the contents of a 50-year-old time capsule unearthed at his son’s elementary school.
“If I were to put something in a time capsule, I think it should be the music,” says Nicolas. What a exciting scene in the train when Nicolas told the lady to take care of her child.
“The great music, like the Bach concertos or Beethoven symphonies are remarkably. It should go in a time capsule because I think that’s the best impersonation of us, and our andagift and inspiration. That’s what I’d want to share.” What a remarkably sound in the movie, just notice.
Nicolas also says he connected to the film partly because he was looking to display a single father’s relationship with his child in a positive light or good conditions.
Nicolas said “You just have to enjoy every minute of it.” “It’s something to behold, isn’t it,” he says of raising his own young son, Kal-el.
Watch ET for more with Nicolas in ‘Knowing’! If you whatc the vidoe on this side you know more about the fantastic film “Knowing”
Next time you stand on a crowded subway platform, it’s definitely going to have you keeping your eye out for a quick exit strategy. Watch very powerful trailer of train accident:
Nicolas Cage,”Why hasen’t the innersection been seal off?” Pleace calm down sir.About Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is a talented actor. I like the way he act in movies. The power of Cage is incredible. He is a “bankable star”, remarkable money in his movies. Daily News have some report of Nicolas Cage and his film from, National Treasure Book of secret, Chost Rider, The Wicker Man, The Weather Man andKnowing.Did You know at one time, Nicolas Cage had a job selling popcorn at the Fairfax Theater.Did You know he was owner of Blue FerraryCage can also be seen in a very small part in Fast Times At Ridgemont High.He have allsaw donated $2,7 million to establish a fund for former child soldiers.Amnesty International have said the money will be used for rehabilitation shelters, medical services and psychological and reintegration services for children forced to take part in armed conflicts worldwide. While most child soldiers are in their teens, some are as young as seven years old.
Below is an interview by Jill Simonian from Dailes News.
I discovered an exclusive interview with Nicolas Cage hosted by James Lipton. You can listen and studied Nic career. His bacground and what he have been doing. A lot of pitcure from his film, his youth and family. A great summation on this video. Did you know for a long time ago he sing “Yellow Submarine! (time 7.01)
Biography for Nicolas Cage
Date of Birth
7 January 1964, Long Beach, California, USABirth Name
Nicholas Kim CoppolaNickname
NickHeight
6' (1.83 m)Mini Biography
The son of comparative literature professor August Coppola (a brother of director Francis Ford Coppola) and dancer/choreographer Joy Vogelsang, Cage changed his name early in his career to make his own reputation, succeeding brilliantly with a host of classic, quirky roles by the late 1980s.
Initially studying theatre at Beverly Hills High (though he dropped out at 17), he secured a bit part in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) -- most of which was cut, dashing his hopes and leading to a job selling popcorn at the Fairfax Theater, thinking that would be the only route to a movie career. But a job reading lines with auditioners for uncle Francis' Rumble Fish (1983) landed him a role in that film, followed by the punk-rocker in Valley Girl (1983), which was released first and truly launched his career.
His one-time passion for method acting reached a personal limit when he smashed a street-vendor's remote-control car to achieve the sense of rage needed for his gangster character in The Cotton Club (1984).
In his early 20s, he dated Jenny Wright for two years and later linked to Uma Thurman. After a relationship of several years with Christina Fulton, a model, they split amicably and share custody of a son, Weston Coppola Cage (b.1992).
Initially studying theatre at Beverly Hills High (though he dropped out at 17), he secured a bit part in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) -- most of which was cut, dashing his hopes and leading to a job selling popcorn at the Fairfax Theater, thinking that would be the only route to a movie career. But a job reading lines with auditioners for uncle Francis' Rumble Fish (1983) landed him a role in that film, followed by the punk-rocker in Valley Girl (1983), which was released first and truly launched his career.
His one-time passion for method acting reached a personal limit when he smashed a street-vendor's remote-control car to achieve the sense of rage needed for his gangster character in The Cotton Club (1984).
In his early 20s, he dated Jenny Wright for two years and later linked to Uma Thurman. After a relationship of several years with Christina Fulton, a model, they split amicably and share custody of a son, Weston Coppola Cage (b.1992).
Trivia
Half German, half Italian.
2000: Filed divorce papers in February, withdrew them in April.
October 1997: Ranked #40 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
Was engaged to Kristen Zang.
Nephew of Francis Ford Coppola and Talia Shire.
Got Johnny Depp his first acting job.
Close friend of Tom Waits, Crispin Glover and Rush drummer Neil Peart.
Stage name taken from comic book character Luke Cage.
Owns a Lamborghini that used to belong to Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi, the former Shah of Iran.
Brother of Marc Coppola and Christopher Coppola.
Grandson of Carmine Coppola.
Proposed to Patricia Arquette on the day he met her in the early 1980s. Arquette thought he was a bit strange but played along with his antics by creating a list of things Cage would have to fulfill to win her. When he started to work his way through the list, Arquette got scared and avoided him. They met again many years later and later went on to marry.
1997: He lived in a fake castle on the outskirts Los Angeles. He wants to import an authentic one from overseas.
Loves to improvise, ocassionally to the annoyance of other cast members.
Collects comic books and sees them as being today's equivalent of mythology.
The Wild at Heart (1990) movie poster lists his name as both "Nicolas Cage" and "Nicholas Cage".
Ranked #37 in Premiere's 100 most powerful people in Hollywood in 1998.
1984: Listed as one of 12 "Promising New Actors of 1984" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 36.
Cousin of Jason Schwartzman.
Suffers from vertigo.
Tim Burton cast Cage in his doomed Superman project. Cage even did fittings of the costume.
On his upper back he has a tattoo of monitor lizard with a top hat.
2001: Announced that he is dating Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the late Elvis Presley. They later married.
Cousin of Robert Schwartzman, who changed his name to Robert Schwartzman-Cage inspired by Nicolas.
May 2001: Awarded an Honory Doctorate in Fine Arts by California State University, Fullerton. He spoke at the commencement.
Father August Coppola, formerly a professor at Cal State Long Beach and Dean of Creative Arts at San Francisco State University
During an A&E Biography on him, the host explained that Cage was director Sam Raimi's first choice to play Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in the movie Spider-Man (2002). Apparently this was before he met Willem Dafoe.
Graduated UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television.
Cousin of Sofia Coppola and Roman Coppola.
On "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (1992), he told Jay that he took the name "Cage" from a comic book character named Luke Cage, the "first black superhero." (The REAL first black superhero is a character named "Lobo" of Dell Comics, 1965. Luke Cage appeared in Marvel, 1972.) When asked which of the powers he would prefer to have, he said flight was his desire.
Has a son, Weston Coppola-Cage (with actress Christina Fulton), born 26 December, 1990.
One of three actors (with Lee Marvin [Cat Ballou (1965)] and Peter Sellers [Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)]) with an Oscar nomination for playing multiple characters in a film (in Adaptation. (2002), he plays two characters, Donald and Charlie). Marvin is the only one who actually won one for a double role.
Former cousin, by marriage, of director Spike Jonze.
Met his future wife, Alice Kim Cage, at a sushi bar where she was a waitress. She was only 20-years-old at the time they married.
Ate a real cockroach in the film Vampire's Kiss (1988), it reportedly took three takes. He once said about the experience, "Every muscle in my body didn't want to do it, but I did it anyway."
Attended Justin-Siena High School in Napa, CA, during the early '80s.
His is (along with his cousin Sofia Coppola) the third generation of Oscar winners in the Coppola family. His uncle, Francis Ford Coppola and his grandfather, Carmine Coppola, are the other two generations. They are the second family to do so, the first family is the Hustons - Anjelica Huston, John Huston and Walter Huston.
Nick and his wife, Alice Kim Cage, had a son, Kal-el Coppola Cage, on October 3, 2005 in New York City. Just as Nick was named after a comic book character, "Luke Cage", so he has named his son after the comic book character "Kal-el" (aka Superman).
Trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Royce Gracie
Referred to as the "Jazz musician of acting" by David Lynch.
Former stepfather of Patricia Arquette's son Enzo
Former stepfather of Danielle Riley Keough.
July 2006: Bought Schloss Neidstein, a mini castle in the Bavarian village of Etzelwang.
After his first film role (in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)), he adopted the stage name of Cage, because he wanted to assure himself that any success he had was based on his own merits, not the fame of his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola.
Was a very close friend of late Johnny Ramone.
Big fan of Elvis Presley.
Considered "Blue" before settling on "Cage" as his surname.
His grandmother originates from Cochem/Mosel, Germany.
2006: He purchased a home on the former property of John Wayne in Newport Beach, CA, for a record-setting $24 million.
Said in a Reader's Digest interview that his wife, Alice, is into designing jewelry and has no interest whatsoever in being an actress.
Offered the role of Green Goblin/Norman Osborn in Spider-Man (2002).
Was originally considered for the role of Brad Hamilton in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), but after his audition the studio thought his performance was too dark and the role went, instead, to Judge Reinhold. Additionally, Cage was 17 at the time and could not work as many hours as actors over 18. In this film, he is credited under the name Nicolas Coppola for the first and only time.
1999: Was among the guests at the wedding of Spike Jonze and Sofia Coppola.
Auditioned for the role of Joel in Risky Business (1983), but the role eventually went to Tom Cruise.
He said he realized that all great movie stars, such as Spencer Tracy, had had recognizable voices, so he has stylized his to be distinctive.
Great-grandson of Francesco Pennino.
Owns a home in New Orleans.
Devoted Elvis Presley fan that he is, in Wild at Heart (1990) he performed the Elvis classic "Love Me" with uncanny aplomb.
Former son-in-law of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley.
2007: Bought Midford Castle (a big house, not a real castle) near Bath, England. Purchase price was in the region of £5 million (about $10 million).
In 2006, he donated $2 million to Amnesty International for a fund to help child soldiers.
Owns homes in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and New York City.
Owns the rights of the original The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) movie, for which he bought the rights from Ted Turner. He was going to use that as a new movie. Since Cage was busy with other projects, the movie didn't come to any fruition.
While making an appearance on David Letterman for the film Knowing, he mentioned that he is fascinated with hang gliding.
Personal Quotes
To be a good actor you have to be something like a criminal, to be willing to break the rules to strive for something new.
There's a fine line between the Method actor and the schizophrenic.
I am not a demon. I am a lizard, a shark, a heat-seeking panther. I want to be Bob Denver on acid playing the accordion.
[about his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley] I'm sad about this, but we shouldn't have been married in the first place.
Hollywood didn't know if I was an actor or a nut or if I was this crazy character I was playing. I had developed an image of being a little bit unusual, different and wild.
I'm at the point now where I know I'm doing something right when a movie gets mixed reviews, because then I'm not in the box. I don't want to make it too easy for people and I don't want to make it too easy for myself. I want to try something unusual. I feel good about the bad reviews because I feel like I've affected them on some level. They may not know what I was trying to do but they felt something
I want to make all kinds of movies. I do want to make big movies that are a lot of fun to go to, but I also want to make movies that are going to stimulate some thought and maybe raise some awareness. And so please don't think you're gonna go on a roller-coaster ride with those movies.
It's very risky for an actor who's a bankable star to make pictures like The Weather Man (2005) or Lord of War (2005) because they inevitably promote them like big studio releases. And they're not big studio movies, they're more edgy, thought-provoking, independent-spirited films. What happens is, it goes into the computer, and everyone says they can't open the movie because they thought it was X when it actually was Y.
I needed to change my name just to liberate myself and find out I could do it without walking into a Hollywood casting office with the name Coppola.
[Pablo Picasso] said art is a lie that tells the truth. What if you just want to tell the truth and not lie about it?
It's good to make movies that are tragedies, where people can think about things in life that are undeniable, that everyone has to deal with. But at the same time, it's also healing to make movies that are entertaining, that are a lot of fun, where you don't have to think about your problems.
When I did Vampire's Kiss, I got so wound up. It was so important to me that this vision I had of Peter Lowe's character get on film exactly the way that I wanted it, that I frankly don't think I was very easy for anyone to live with. Certainly, I was not easy for myself to live with. I remember that I wasn't drinking or anything at the time. One night I felt so wound up that I was about to snap. I ordered a martini. And I just relaxed, and I could tell my body really needed a rest. From then on, I learned you can do good work without torturing yourself.
What happens is, you become different people in your path as an actor. When I was doing those things, I was a very new actor. I didn't have a lot of training, and I was trying to make some sort of impact, because that was what was important for me at the time - to get on the map. There were things I would do that were more shocking, or approaches I would do to try and live the character, because I didn't have the training. But then, as I went on, I started to find other methods, ways to get into characters that weren't exactly destroying my life. (On the wild eccentrics he used to get into character earlier in his career)
I remember when I met Johnny Depp, he was a guitar player from Florida, and he had no idea he could be an actor. I said, "I really think you are an actor, that you have that ability." That was just from playing one game of Monopoly with him. I sent him to my agent and he has gone on to carve out a successful career.
There is a method of thought that says it's better to stay mysterious, make yourself an event so when you come out, people have a hunger to see you again. I can think of some superstars who adopt that principle, where they are very selective. But we are all going to get older, and there is something to be said about doing some of your best work when you are younger, when you still have that virility, something visceral and raw. I've heard there have been some actors who've regretted not doing more work when they were under fifty. (On why he works so much)
[on making his character in Knowing (2009) a single father] I have seen a lot of movies with single mothers and their children. They're good, but there are not so many with capable single fathers. There seems to be this archetype that if you're a man and single, you're incapable of raising a child, which I think needs to be broken. If you find yourself in that position - like I have - it's important not to give up because of what people tell you.
[on Face/Off (1997)] Without tooting my own horn - I think it's a masterpiece.
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