After dozens of years in front of the camera, actor Nicolas Cage moves behind it for his directorial debut, "Sonny." Cage didn't choose the easy path when selecting his first film to direct. "Sonny" is the dramatic story of a young man raised in the world of prostitutes and his very personal struggle to free himself from that life.
In this interview, actor/director Nicolas Cage talks about casting "Sonny," setting the proper tone for the film, and the impact his first experience as the director of a feature film will have on his own acting career.
NICOLAS CAGE (Director)
What did you see in James Franco that made you cast him as 'Sonny?' I saw enthusiasm, I saw passion, I saw a dynamic, highly-powered intensity. I saw somebody that could be vulnerable, that I could care about with a face that I could read a story on. I saw someone who could be unpredictable and dangerous.
How were you able to make your actors comfortable during their long nude scenes? I think that a lot of it was coming from a place of respect and knowing that I'm also an actor, and knowing how vulnerable it is to bear your soul. I wanted them to feel safe and let them know that I wanted the set to have a quiet so that they could concentrate and go to whatever place that they needed to. I trusted their instincts and I trusted them to bring to the scene whatever it was that they instinctively felt and then, afterwards, we would experiment together and try different things, sculpt a little bit.
Did everyone involved understand you were trying to make a very honest film. Yes. I mean, we wanted this movie to be as truthful as we could, and not pull any punches. I think that was important too in terms of the nudity, that this is a way of making the film more real and more intimate rather than trying to hide away from it.
How difficult was it to find the right tone for this movie? First of all, I can't stress enough how much of it just came down to instinct and what felt right. The scene in the bathroom where he's saying, "I'm better than you," I guess that I connected with that sense of loneliness or what he's really saying is, "I'm not," - that human being outside and not belonging. That's something that I think that we can all relate to and we've all had feelings like that, wanting to belong somewhere and unable to do it. It's hard to talk about because I don't want to rob anyone of their own interpretation.
Brenda Blethyn's character gets to the point where she's almost hysterical. As a director, how difficult was it for you to get that performance? I don't know why it is but I do like dancing in the extreme situations. I like that noise. I like that intensity. It's where I am, for some reason, it's what I respond to in terms of my taste and my instincts. I guess I knew Brenda was an actress with an enormous range and an ability to be, in some cases, larger than life. She had a daredevil sensibility about her that I wanted to access and guide her to because that's always what I've been a fan of in her work, that she wasn't afraid to go to those places. She wasn't afraid of the extreme situation or the extreme behavior and that's why I cast her.
Can you talk about what you liked and what you hated about directing? I don't really think that I really hated anything about it, to be honest with you. I was very adrenalized by the experience. I was excited to be surrounded by so many creative people in all walks of the filmmaking process. There is just so much talent in the art direction and the camera and certainly the actors, that I like the idea of being reignited myself as an actor by being able to work with such great performances and be re-stimulated again.
I liked the editing process very much. I liked being in the room and trying to work this puzzle and get it down to a time that seemed to be the exact correct time for the film, which is a long process and it was different for me. I've never seen a movie so many times in my life [laughs].
When you first started in the entertainment industry, you changed your name from Coppola to Cage. Have you always wanted to be a director like your uncle, Francis Ford Coppola? No, I always wanted to be an actor. That was my first love and still is. That's the core of my life in film, it's acting. Even the movie that I've [just directed] is kind of driven by performance and acting. But my name still is Nicolas Coppola. I never changed my name legally. It's my acting name or my surrealistic name that I've become.
Did anyone in your family give you any input on directing "Sonny?" When I made this movie, I just decided to go and do it, and no one in the family knew about it. I just went down there in February.
I read somewhere that you've been trying to get this movie made for 10 years. Is that true? No, it's not. What happened was that I read the script over fifteen years ago to star in it. I couldn't find a director to commit to it and then it was shelved. I literally forgot about it for over fifteen years until I decided that I wanted to direct a movie. For some reason, a bell rang and I thought, "Oh yeah, I remember that script. That might be interesting." I optioned it and I reread it. I had the same experiences that I had when I first read it in that it was emotional for me. I responded to it instinctively and wanted to try my hand at it. So, that's what happened. I don't think that the movie would've ever been made. It would've stayed there in limbo.
Do you get the same personal rewards doing the big action movies as when you do the smaller avant garde work? Well, I think that they're both different. It's kind of like my direction as a person working in film is to never get comfortable with anything that I was doing. At that time that I decided to do action films people were telling me, "You can't do it. You're not that type. It's not going to work." So, honestly, that made me think, "Well, that's not comfortable, maybe I should try it. What can I do with it?" So, I did that and I'm glad that I did it and I'll probably do it again.
I did other kinds of things that seemed like challenges for me because I like being on the high wire. I like being at that place where you could either fall or stand and that's where I think that you really have a shot at doing something truthful and creative.
Has directing "Sonny" affected your acting? I think that it has. I don't know exactly how, but I was so taken with watching Harry Dean Stanton and this sort of simplicity of his reality that it made me, as I said, re-stimulated or reignited. I looked at wanting to dig a little deeper with my own work and get inspired again and more passionate. I think that directing definitely helped my acting.
Will your approach with directors change? I don't think so. I mean, I certainly would never overstep my boundaries and make suggestions to a director. As an actor, I'm trying to fit to the best of my abilities within the director's vision and try to find some happy rapport where we can both bring something to it that's fresh. And usually, I've been lucky to work with directors who have trusted my instincts. I had a great experience working with Ridley Scott and he was very encouraging to go find something, and I did. But no, when I'm acting, I'm strictly going to be acting.
What were the difficulties in casting this movie? First of all, I really believe that the cast that winds up in the movie is the cast that is meant to be. I got very lucky with getting Brenda Blethyn and everyone, James Franco, Mena [Suvari] and Harry Dean Stanton. They're all, I think, a hundred point, the people that were meant to be in the film.
Without mentioning names, we looked at other possibilities and different situations and other actresses and one thing led to another. Or maybe because I was a first time director, things didn't seem like a safe bet or something, but I'm happy it worked out the way that it did. I can't see anyone else playing these parts.
You will be competing against yourself in movie theaters with this movie and “Adaptation.” I think that because in one I'm an actor, and the other, I'm a director, I think that it actually is kind of exciting to have different points of expression come out at the same time. I'm not really worried about that.
How difficult was it to work on "Adaptation?" It was challenging [laughs]. When I watched the movie, I was able to separate myself enough from it enough that I could sort of just get lost in the movie, which is unusual. I didn't really see me up there. I kind of saw these other people that were brothers.
What's the status of "Ghost Rider?" It's funny that you should mention that. They're going to be done with the script after the holidays. I think that the studio's going to be very excited about it.
Why was it important for "Ghost Rider" to get a PG-13 rating ? I can't really speak for the studio or the writer. I mean, I can only guess that maybe it's because the comic book world is originally a world that was a fantasy place for children and younger people. I don't think that by making it a hard R, you wouldn't alienate some of those younger people who want to go to the movies and get lost in that world. So, I can understand the argument for that.
What attracted you to that project? I always thought that it was interesting, the concept of a character who is in the dilemma of making a deal with a negative force and then, trying to do something positive with it.
