I´m totally IMPRESSED Nic did this. How kinhearted of him to help a colleague in need of some perk to carry on with his life...
When I heard about the Venice top prize, I felt sad for Nic, but thought it was just poetic justice that M. Rourke got some encouragement from all the spotlight and positive reviews he´s gonna enjoy as a result...
Now I know there was some more to it. It´s really moving that Nic can leave the vanity of the movie star aside and do the right thing to help some old friend in the most effective way possible...
Awhile back, Nic was said to be attached to THE WRESTLER, the movie that just won top awards at the Venice Film Festival. For some reason, Nic didn't do the movie and the role went to Mickey Rourke instead. Well......here's a link to an interview with Darren Aronofsky who made the movie.
The excerpt that explains why Nic didn't do the flick....(There is a reason why we like our man...........it's cuz he has a good heart.)
Peter Sciretta: But when the project was first announced, well obviously Nicholas Cage was attached, what happened?
Darren Aronofsky: There was a window where it was very very hard, basically no one wanted to make it with Mickey Rourke. We couldnt get money to do it. Just because of how independent films get sold now is on foreign value, and Mickey just doesnt have enough for what we needed. So there was a brief flirtation with Nic Cage because Nic really liked the script. But Nic was a complete gentleman, and he understood that my heart was with Mickey and he stepped aside. I have so much respect for Nic Cage as an actor and I think it really could have worked with Nic but you know, Nic was incredibly supportive of Mickey and his old friends with Mickey and really wanted to help with this opportunity with Mickey so he pulled himself out of the race.
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"Logical consequences are the scarecrows of fools and the beacons of wise men." ~~~Thomas Henry Huxley~~~
