On April 9, Nicolas Cage — man, myth, and legend — took to Reddit ahead of his hotly anticipated, semi-biographical film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent to give us a refreshingly wholesome look at his life and career.
From reflections on the movies he'd preserve for all time and the best character in all of media, to favorite insects and pasta shapes, the conversation spanned just about everything. Cage's Ask Me Anything quickly went viral on Twitter, as well, with users sharing their favorite answers and reflecting on the actor's decades-long influence.
Scroll on for some of the conversation highlights.
Reflecting on his career
Cage didn't shy away from talking about his favorite projects, co-stars, and directors. He heralded his experiences with favorite films Leaving Las Vegas and Bringing Out the Dead. Cage also spoke about former co-stars Ethan Hawke — "...always been spellbound by his talent" — and Laura Dern, who he described as an essential part of their film Wild at Heart and the current holder of the movie's iconic snakeskin jacket. As for directors he's eager to work with? Christopher Nolan, Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, and Spike Lee. Just imagine the possibilities.
Both the actor and Reddit users flooded the thread with praise for Cage's recent arthouse, processing-grief-through-cooking film Pig, which the actor said was not only one of his favorite projects of all time, but one out of three films he would choose to have preserved for all eternity. "The movie feels rather like a folk song to me or a poem, and the character of Rob was contending with tremendous grief and self-imposed isolation... It's one of my favorite movies, and it's probably my best work," Cage wrote.
Cage said he would be down for Face/Off 2, needed to ponder the artistic direction of a possible Ghost Rider reboot, and spoke about the new Disney Plus National Treasure TV show, stating he wasn't interested in joining the project once it shifted to the television format.
Diving into Cage's brain
True to form, Reddit came at Cage with the personal and the strange, as well. He was asked about his opinion on bees — "I would have to say they’re my favorite insect. They make us honey. Bees, and then the firefly. And ants are interesting. Bumble bees are quite adorable. Don't get me started on the praying mantis," Cage wrote. And whether or not he had an Elvis memorabilia (he does not have any Elvis memorabilia).
In some important journalism, one user pondered Cage's favorite pasta shape. The star responded with a long story about visiting San Franciscan Italian eatery with Charlie Sheen to find "square tube pasta." The unnamed pasta was apparently delicious.
As for his most norm-core answer, Cage told fans his hobbies were "reading, watching cinema, and exercise."
Pure wholesomeness
Cage was also endearingly earnest with fans, willing to answer just about every question with what appeared to be a great deal of thought and care. When asked which of his movie quotes he hates to hear thrown at him while out in public, Cage responded simply, "I don’t have a problem with any of the quotes, I’m glad they remember the movie."
He responded in a similar, albeit more existential, way to a question about his performances that get turned into memes or gags. "Well, let’s talk about the difference between 'meme' and the word 'gag.' My understanding is that 'meme' represents a symbol of a pop cultural movement of sorts. A 'gag' is somewhere in the realm of a diss and I don’t look at anything anymore as a diss. I see it more as a recognition of some sort of expression," Cage reflected.
Talking about his dream role, Cage answered, "I would like to play Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo because of the character’s love of the ocean I share that with him."
And the movies Cage can watch endlessly? "Apocalypse Now and Spirited Away."
Read the full AMA on Reddit and check out The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in theaters on April 15.
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