Nicolas Cage may play his most difficult role yet – himself.
Or at least a fictionalized version of himself according to the star.
“[‘Nic Cage’] is an invented version of Nic Cage,” said the actor on his role in the upcoming comedy-thriller “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”. “The character is feeling unfulfilled and contending with the rejection that can happen so often in the small town that is Hollywood. It’s not me. I’m feeling pretty good about things.”
Cage spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his unique role in the film from director Tom Gormican.
The film sees Cage playing Nic Cage, an unfulfilled actor who accepts a $1 million deal to attend the birthday party of his billionaire super fan Javi (Pedro Pascal). In reality, Cage is operating as an informant for the CIA since his super fan also happens to be a drug kingpin.
“Javi has a wax statue of Nic and you think, ‘Oh, it might be awkward between a film star and a fan,'” Cage said of the relationship between the two characters. “But they’re both cinephiles, so they’re having wonderful conversations about ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ and ‘Paddington 2’.”
In the first photos released for “The Unbearable Weight”, Nic seems to be enjoying the summer weather with Javi.
READ MORE: Nicolas Cage Says He Feels He Has Left ‘The Small Town That Is Hollywood’
The “Willy’s Wonderland” actor plays two fictionalized versions of himself: “Nic” and “Nicky”. The latter is a younger, wilder version of the actor who is a figment of Nic’s imagination.
READ MORE: Nicolas Cage To Play Dracula In Universal Monster Pic ‘Renfield’
“He’s got the lanky long hair; he’s just constantly riding Nic about his career choices,” said Cage. “I wasn’t too excited about the idea of playing myself, but when Tom sent me this script, Nicky reminded me a little of Jerry Lewis’ Buddy Love in ‘The Nutty Professor’. I always admired what he did with that movie. For me, Nicky steals the show.”
The cast includes Neil Patrick Harris as Cage’s agent, Sharon Horgan as his wife, Lily Sheen as his daughter, and Tiffany Haddish as a CIA agent.
The teaser trailer for the film releases on Dec. 14 and the film is expected to hit theatres in April 2022.
