Nicolas Cage has always had a way with words, whether it’s describing his self-created acting style as “Nouveau Shamanic”, explaining in great detail why he identifies as a goth, or any other of the idiosyncratic soundbites he’s gifted us with over the years.
Given that he’s about to be seen pulling double duty as two fictionalized versions of himself in upcoming action comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, his stint on the press circuit is generating just as much hype and excitement as the film itself.
Speaking to Variety at the SXSW festival, the Academy Award winner broke down how it felt to play both jobbing actor Nicolas Cage, as well as de-aged (and much more successful) hallucination Nicky Cage in Tom Gormican’s self-aware celebration of the star’s career.
“Having to play two versions of myself in a movie that’s sort of about some Tom Gormican version of myself, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m just gonna have to go full Bugs Bunny on this. I mean, Bugs Bunny was kissing everybody and everything. And it was very aggressive. And yeah, I’m kissing myself. Literally, the process of making this movie on some level was like making out with myself and it was weird. And everything about it is uncomfortable and terrifying. But I thought, ‘Yeah, it all has to come to that moment, we have to keep that in the movie.’”
So, not only has Cage compared his dual performance in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent to making out with himself, but he’s also thrown in a Bugs Bunny reference for good measure. Early reviews have been full of praise, too, so fans of the eccentric leading man probably don’t need another reason to check it out when it lands on April 22.