Nicolas Cage reacted with \"absolute horror\" to the first pitch for 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'.<\/p>\n
The 58-year-old actor plays a fictionalised version of himself in the new meta-action comedy blockbuster which sees big screen star Nick Cage close to retirement when he accepts a birthday party invitation from a billionaire fan (Pedro Pascal), who is actually a crime boss.<\/p>\n
Cage told Variety: \"There was no muscle in my body that told me I should play a character named Nick Cage, it was absolute horror.<\/p>\n
However, the director wrote me a very intelligent, sensitive letter, and in that letter I knew he was a true film enthusiast that likes some of the earlier work.<\/p>\n
\"He wanted to make a movie that was about people, not about caricatures or cartoons.<\/p>\n
The actor was won over by filmmaker Tom Gormican, who was keen to show Cage how \"seriously\" he and co-writer Kevin Etten were taking the project.<\/p>\n
Gormican added: \"[Cage] just wanted to make sure we werent out to make fun of him or make fun of the things hes done.<\/p>\n
\"We took it seriously, and once he understood that, he became more and more comfortable with [co-writer Kevin Etten] and I as filmmakers. I think he was a little put off until he understood.<\/p>\n
\"We said to him, There are ideas people have of who you are and theres actually who you are, and somewhere in the middle were gonna find the movie. \"<\/p>\n
The director noted how he painted the movie as an opportunity for the actor to take control of his own \"narrative\".<\/p>\n
He said: \"We said this entire thing is the chance to take the reins of that narrative and become a big piece of performance art. Once he looked at it that way, he started to come around.<\/p>\n
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