The Oscar-winning film star Nicolas Cage has said he prefers to be called a thespian rather than an actor but admitted he risks sounding like “a pretentious a-hole”.
The Face/Off and National Treasure star discussed his career and his reputation for “over the top” performances on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast. He likened his process to “shamanism” for “going into the imagination”.
“I really don’t like the word ‘actor’ because for me it always implies ‘oh, he’s a great actor, therefore he’s a great liar, and [great at] lying,’” he said.
“So with the risk of sounding like a pretentious a-hole, I like the word thespian because thespian means you’re going into your heart, or you’re going into your imagination, or your memories or your dreams, and you’re bringing something back to communicate with the audience. I think it’s more like recruiting imagination. Dare I say it, it’s more like a shamanism.
“What early shamans would do is go into flights of imagination to find answers to help their village. I like looking at it like that, with the risk of sounding completely absurd and ridiculous. I like the idea of it being something a little more organic and less artificial.”
Cage plays a reclusive truffle-hunter in Michael Sarnoski’s 2021 film Pig, which had its European premiere in Edinburgh.
Discussing other forms of acting, including the “method” approach, he said: “You’ve got to go towards what is in some ways dangerous or scary, but it can’t ever lapse into the realm of hurting yourself or someone else. Which is why, for me, it’s about imagination. For me, I don’t need my cat to die to play the scene. I can imagine it and it can break my heart and I can get there and, thank God, I can get back.”
On being accused of often being “over the top” in his acting style, he said: “When they say that to me, I say: ‘Well, you tell me where the top is and I’ll tell you whether or not I’m over it.’”
Cage, whose real name is Nicolas Coppola, recalled his first acting experience on a school bus when he a friend were being bullied.
“One day I said ‘I’m gonna have to have some attitude’ and I put on some cowboy boots and a leather jacket and I started chewing gum. I said: ‘I’m not Nicky Coppola, I’m Roy Richardson, and if you don’t leave my friends alone, I’m gonna kick your ass.’”
Cage added: “That was a performance and that was the first time I think I could act because they left Nicky alone after that – it worked.”