A lot can be said about the acting and production career of Nicolas Kim Coppola, or as everyone knows him, Nicolas Cage, (both good and bad), having appeared in upwards of at least 117 films and produced at least 121 films. There’s certainly a lot to choose from creatively in terms of acting and production. But one thing we can most all agree on is that Nicolas plays a great serial killer in his films thanks to his incredible method acting and his own style of acting he created called “Nouveau Shamanic.” But, he’s decided to make the creative decision to take a step back from these types of roles, almost purely for the reason of keeping his mental health in check.
Cage’s most recent film, Longlegs is one of his many films where he portrays a serial killer of some kind, like his roles in Renfield or A Vampire’s Kiss. But, he says that moving forward after playing his role in Longlegs he wouldn’t be playing any more serial killer roles in his acting career, simply stating “I don’t like violence.” He no longer wishes for there to be any more blood shed on screen, and considering his ability to really get into the skin of the characters he’s playing, we can only imagine the headspace it puts him in.
After reading the script for Longlegs which was based on the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, Cage said he knew where he would get his inspiration for the character from-his mother. “Not that she was satanic,” Cage said. But, having grown up with his mother, Joy Vogelsang, who dealt with schizophrenia and severe depressive disorder, was something he needed to process by finding a way to make those memories into something constructive for him. He also wanted to make his roles more personal for whatever films he may be working on, which was why the filming of Longlegs was a healing experience for Cage after his mother’s passing in 2021.
Cage once stated in an interview that he also based his performance in Renfield on his father, the same as he did with his mother in Longlegs. “Gosh, I channeled my Dad for Dracula, and my mom for Longlegs. What does that say about my childhood?” Cage said with a chuckle. Cage has also said recently that after he turns 60, he’ll most likely be done with starring in or producing movies, or at least scaling back on the amount at which he does so, so he can focus on spending more time with his family members. After finally having paid off his tax debts, the actor can continue his career in peace.
