Nicolas Cage Now Discusses PIG and Leaving Hollywood Behind
Josh Korngut
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The new independent film Pig features cult actor Nicolas Cage as a famous chef turned hermit living off the grid with his beloved pet pig. Art reflects real life for Cage, who is currently in a tumultuous relationship with his own fame.
Both Cage and his character Rob understand what it’s like to have once been hugely famous. In the 1990s and 2000s, Nic Cage was one of the world’s most successful box office draws. Things have since shifted for the actor. When sitting down with Variety, the actor discussed his performance in the thriller and his feelings about leaving Hollywood behind.
“I do feel that I’ve gone into my own wilderness and that I’ve left the small town that is Hollywood … I don’t know exactly why Rob left his stardom … But as for me, I don’t know if I’d want to go back. I don’t know if I’d want to go and make another Disney movie. It would be terrifying. It’s a whole different climate. There’s a lot of fear there.”
Nicolas Cage talks about the stress of creating a blockbuster hit.
“When I was making Jerry Bruckheimer movies back-to-back, that was just a high-pressure game. There were a lot of fun moments, but at the same time, there was also ‘We wrote this line. It has to be said this way. They’d put a camera on you and photograph you, and order you: ‘Now say the roller skate training wheels line.’ I’d say, ‘I’ll do that but I’d also like to try it this way.’
More recently, Cage has been taking on riskier independent fare. Just in the horror genre alone, he’s released modern cult classics like Mandy, Color Out of Space, and Willy’s Wonderland. While we’re grateful for these outrageous titles, Cage wanted to give audiences a refresher of the subtle nuance his performances are still capable of.
“I wanted to remind myself and also remind some folks perhaps in the audience or in the media that I could also apply myself to a much more quiet and measured performance style … I had gone on this tear, mission almost, to kind of break form with film performance and what was considered good performance by being naturalistic or photo-realistic or minimalistic.”
But Pig is so much more than a return to naturalism for Cage. The film also explores the authentic and unique relationship between humans and animals. In the film, Rob’s best friend is a truffle-hunting pig. Cage understands this unconditional love, sharing a similar bond with his cat, Merlin.
Nicolas Cage discusses the human/animal bond:
“I was always close with my animals … I think a lot of people that are in the public eye probably feel this as well. There’s a truth there. Sometimes when you meet somebody who knows you from a movie, but doesn’t know you as you, they want to undercut you in some way or see you as competition. You don’t get that with animals, so the animal relationships become the closest to family. They become the ones that have nothing to hide and just want to share this moment together with you.”
We relate. Animals are better than people.
Pig sees release on July 16 from Parasite distributor Neon.
Are you a fan of Nic Cage? Are you interested in seeing what the Pig fuss is all about? Let me know on Twitter via @joshkorngut. I’m always down to talk about Cage and all other things genre! You can also let your voice be heard in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
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