Filmmakers of “Unbearable Weight of Enormous Talent” describe in detail how to put Nicolas Cage in the film about Nicolas Cage

[This story contains minor spoilers for The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.]

Nicolas Cage made the offer to filmmakers Tom Gormicken and Kevin Etten. Came during filming. The unbearable weight of massive talent, a film where Cage plays a fictionalized version of himself. He approached writer-director Gormican and writer Ethan before filming a scene where, in a dream of existential heat, he had to play against a younger, bombastic version of himself (think in the wild heart).

“Nick came to us that morning and said, ‘I want young Nick to kiss me deeply,'” recalls Etienne. The scene was originally written by a young Cage giving a high-ranking officer a polite kiss on the cheek. “We’re just ‘yes,'” recalls Gormicken.

That was over two years ago, in 2018, when Ethan and Gormicken were working together on the Fox short-lived comedy. InactiveHe seriously sat down and wrote a screenplay depicting Cage’s real life and career in which the Oscar winner is paid to attend the Uber fan’s birthday (played by Pedro Pascal), and only he recorded it. The CIA is spying on said fan, the head of the alleged murder crime. “We were writing a movie that we wanted to see,” explains Gormican.

The unbearable weight of massive talent Filmed during a pandemic, Budapest moved to Spain in autumn and summer. Following the thrilling premiere of SXSW, where Cage fans donned t-shirts, hats and, in one case, a full-face costume on the actor, the film hits theaters on April 22. Prior to the film’s national release, Gormican and Etienne spoke THR On how Cage was forced to star in his movie as himself, what appeals to the actor’s fans, and why paddington 2 He plays such an important role in his movie.

Guys, when you were writing, did you think about the obstacles you would have to overcome to get a project with this precondition?

Tom Gormicen I think deep down we felt that there was no way to implement this project. But we were so good at writing it that we had something like, “If all this happens, let’s give it to our friends and maybe they’ll laugh.” That was the baseline: maybe it makes some people happy.

Kevin Etten In terms of practicality, it was that we could blacklist it or something. [The script did appear on the 2019 Black List.] We accept copy jobs or accept other designs.

gormican [Kevin] I mentioned this before, but we would be just like that, man, if we could have lunch with Nicolas Cage. We just wanted to have a salad with him.

then We think if there was anyone out there who was brave and crazy enough to do this, Nick is one of those five or so people. For example, “Okay, I want to do a weird acting job where I’m playing myself, but it’s not really me.” He used to say, “There’s a chance Nick can get this just because he’s a great artist.”

Did you see his films during the investigation?

gormican What turned out to be very instructive for us in making this film was watching a lot of interviews and reading a lot of interviews. You start to get closer to the essence of Nicolas Cage and his speech [in order] Try to understand what you say and the way you say it in the script, hoping that when you read it [thinks]”Oh, they’re talking [The Cabinet of] Dr. calligar And I mentioned in the interview that this is one of my favorite movies of all time. They did some research. I think you should always try to do that with actors, but in this case, it was really important when you say, ‘This is who you are.’ And he says, “This is not who I am.”

then Is it over there [Late Night With David] attorney The appearance is quite impressive where he talks about his domestic snakes.

gormican He said he would walk into the room and there was a big chair in it and he would drink a giant glass of red wine and watch the snakes dance for him. Then, finally, they turned around and slammed into the glass of the cage they were in, and they were going to freak out. Dave said he was his all-time favorite guest. No one else lives in this version of life. and soon Wagon [a British talk show that was broadcast by the BBC from 1982 to 1992] Show him when he goes out, when he’s younger and he turns around, he goes out and does a round shot and he goes completely nuts. That was the basis of Nick’s character. Nick says, “I find this guy so disgusting, I want to play again and become a villain in the movie.”

How did your reps react when you told them about the project?

gormican His immediate reaction was, “Great. What do you want to do next on TV?

then They’re like, “teamwork”

gormican “Should we leave them?”

then But after the script was put together, our enthusiasm for the script and our love for it helped us overcome a lot of obstacles before we got to the studio, because there was so much time when it was just a dream.

What was the process of having the script in front of him?

then We’ve been told that Nick has done these projects before and that it’s not clear to Nick how Nick is. And we weren’t the two guys who had a great job that you could point to and say, “No, trust us.”

gormican We are not Spike Jones.

then We knew we needed a real offer to continue the script. So we finally got the studio’s interest and once a few studios got in, that’s when it started to get real.

gormican But the fun thing about it is that we have a lot of studios interested in scripts, and usually, as a screenwriter, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, this is the best possible version of how this could have happened. But there’s a star in all of this, which means if he doesn’t want to, his sale will be gone. For example, “By the way, we don’t want this depraved thing if it’s not in it.” There is no other version of it. When I was reading the script, it was like double anxiety. It’s not like that, if you don’t, we’ll offer it to someone else. he was.

I had a little candle with Nick with Jesus. We released one that day and said, “Okay, we understand what you’re reading.”

When and where did you last meet him?

then We have our salad.

gormican Pacific Dining Car Restaurant downtown [Los Angeles]. He shows up, in jeans and a T-shirt and just a nice guy. We talk about it and say, “This is very strange for us.” And it feels like “Weird to you? It’s weird for me.” Later that night, he opened it, I think it was outer space color And I go to see her and she’s in her full Gucci leather jacket and leather pants. He’s morphed into Nick Cage’s costume, but he’s exactly the same person. He’s the same guy, but that was an indication of Nicolas Cage’s versatility as an actor.

Do you think there is another actor who could theoretically replace him in the story?

then There were times when I thought that I, instead of Tom, was trying to convince myself of other ideas. The only really good idea – I don’t know who it was – was the role of Nick Cage in Christian Bailey or Daniel Day-Lewis. But really, no. No one else who really has a combination of the super high talent he has and the kindness of those who love him.

gormican – success.

Was there a moment on set that was particularly important to you?

then One of the strongest moments on the set where I got emotional, I thought Tom had COVID. I was talking to Nick and Tommy was driving on the iPad. [the film] Well, but I was there. This is the last scene where Nick is with his daughter and they decided to watch Paddington 2 – And Nick is very emotional. I turned to emotions, looked back and saw that these brave old men on the team were thrilled. I said, “My God, this guy is a really good actor.”

gormican He doesn’t say anything. She just started crying.

It was paddington 2 A clue always in the movie?

then Დ See one.

gormican We are just big fans of this movie. The only identifiable flaw this film has is that it doesn’t contain Nicolas Cage.

[Our] The film was not just a celebration of Nicolas Cage, but a celebration of things, of cinema. We think this movie should have the same impression as the celebration of this case. s paddington 2 It’s a wonderful example of a wonderful, emotional, hysterical film for us. We just wanted to lighten up.

I know that movie scenes need to be trimmed over time. Is there anything you would like to see in the movie?

then For me, what I miss is the scene where we meet Java for the first time. [Pascal] And show Nick his place. Nick asks what a Wi-Fi password is. Java somehow stops and obviously something is bothering it so it throws “NATION” and you realize it’s National Treasure 2. And he is very sad. He continues: “The Book of Secrets is a national treasure of two large intestines”.

Why do you think Nicolas Cage inspires the ghost of what he does?

gormican I once asked him: “I know you are interested in expressionism; I know you’re wondering about larger-than-life things like wild performances: what is this? “Because I’ve seen how you do that subtle, nuanced naturalism that interests me.” I asked him, “Are you bored?” And he came back the next morning and said, ‘I’ve been thinking about this all night. And I want you to know that I’ll never be bored when I’m an actor. I love acting. I’m doing all of this because I think this is exactly the right choice for the script and the moment I’m in. I think about them a lot.”

There’s authenticity and she feels like a person who just does what she wants, no matter how she gets it. And this is a very difficult case. We all think, “Do people like it? Do you like us?” He acts, it seems, beyond that. I think people connect with him and find him inspiring. I know what I do.

The interview is edited for length and clarity.