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Movies & TV

10th Apr 2023

Nicolas Cage is exactly what you imagine him to be like, says his co-star

Stephen Porzio

nicolas cage

“I could sit and talk to him for days at a time.”

Thanks to his recent roles in Mandy, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Color Out of Space, Pig and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage is enjoying a critical and commercial resurgence as of late.

This looks set to continue with his new comedy horror movie Renfield, which focuses on the title character (Nicholas Hoult), Count Dracula’s long-suffering servant, who longs to break free from his master. Cage co-stars in the film as the legendary Transylvanian vampire.

Given Cage’s long career full of big, zany movie and performance choices – choices which have led to the actor garnering a loyal cult following – playing arguably the all-time baddie of cinema and literature feels like a logical next step.

Ahead of the movie’s release, JOE chatted to both Cage and Hoult (which you can watch here), as well as Ben Schwartz, who plays mobster Teddy Lobo in the film.

During our chat with Schwartz, we brought up how anyone even vaguely interested in movies probably has an idea of what Cage is like in real life. We then asked Schwartz if the experience of working with the Oscar-winner lived up to what he had imagined.

“It is exactly what you want it to be like,” he responded.

“This man [Cage] has a pet crow. This man is dedicated to the craft. This man has every story in the universe.

“We’ll talk about anything and he is one degree away from that actor or one degree away from that director because he’s worked with everybody and his family is the Coppolas.

“It’s incredible. I could sit and talk to him for days at a time. All I have to do is listen. I want to ask him one question and just listen.

“He’s amazing and he really commits to his roles. He gave this like 1,000%. He loves the craft of acting. He can talk about it forever.”

You can watch that full interview with Ben Schwartz here:

Renfield lands in Irish cinemas on 14 April.

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