Nicolas Cage Refutes Reports That He Played Dracula in ‘Renfield’ – The Hollywood Reporter
Blame the fangs.
On the heel of Renfield director Chris McKay says Nicolas Cage was on set playing Dracula – filmmaker says Insiders “whatever scene we did, he 100% lived with that attitude after we stopped shooting” — the veteran actor recalls his own version of events for Hollywood Reporter at the movie premiere in New York.
“I don’t have that memory, I don’t know why Chris said that,” Cage said. “I had a lot of laughs between scenes with both Chris McKay and Nick Hoult so maybe it was his experience, maybe because I still have the canine in my mouth that makes me speak a certain way, but that’s not my experience. ”
Either way, the role demands scope for Cage, who, after a career with iconic roles, steps into one of the most notable roles as Dracula in Universal’s new horror comedy Renfield. Cage stars opposite Nicholas Hoult, who plays Dracula’s tortured assistant as he seeks a life outside of serving the Count, and says he’s attracted to the film’s two tones.
“With this Dracula, I tried to combine the scary and the funny in the delivery process,” he said Tuesday. “It’s just how you can be both creepy and funny, that’s the challenge.”
As Cage himself noted, “Dracula is a character that has been done many times, it has been well done a few times.” He said performances by Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, Frank Langella and Gary Oldman were the starting point, but his father August Coppola was the biggest influence on his role.
“He was always different, he was always so elegant and eloquent, he was always the smartest person in every room he walked into and he knew, and he made sure we knew. ,” Cage explained. “I think Dracula, having been around for so many years, will have some of that aura.” He also cited Anne Bancroft’s performance in graduate as another inspiration, who he thinks is “very charming and like Dracula. So I was looking at her speech, the mid-Atlantic pronunciation that both my father and Anne Bancroft had.
As for Hoult, Renfield was the one who reunited with Cage after the two worked together in 2005 Weather forecasterswhen the actor was 14 years old.
“I think working with him again as an adult has given me a real appreciation of what a master he is, what he has contributed to the world of cinema over the years. , all the iconic performances he’s put on, and I think this is another one,” Hoult said. CHEAP, adding that when he read the script “I was like, ‘Oh, this feels so different. It’s a change, but if it works I think we’ll have an interesting movie.’”
McKay said he knew Cage was right to play the iconic vampire because “in the way of the script, he’s considered rock ‘n’ roll Dracula, so who plays rock ‘n’ roll Dracula? ‘n’ roll better than Nicolas Cage? He can wear rings, he can wear costumes, he looks great and he has the right attitude.”
The director remembers he was “close to tears” when he first saw Cage in full make-up: “Looks like OK, this movie is going to be a hit.” Co-star Ben Schwartz also said Cage was a good fit for the role “because I think he’s unpredictable, I think he brings such originality to the roles, you almost didn’t know he was going to do it. what,” noting that he will contribute 110% to the role. every scene.
“So he’s in there, and when he’s Dracula, he’s in that zone, and he gets excited and it’s like you’re acting with Dracula,” Schwartz said. “And the best part is when they say ‘Cut,’ you’re just standing next to Dracula hanging out then like, ‘So I fell in love. adapt.’ So it was fun.”
Renfield in theaters on April 14.
Neha Joy contributed to this story.
