If you’ve never seen one of his movies, Nicolas Cage has a suggestion for where to start, and it’s one of his saddest films.
Nicolas Cage has been reflecting on his career. In a wide-ranging interview with The New Yorker in the run-up to horror movie Longlegs, Cage discusses everything from Moonstruck and Leaving Las Vegas to Vampire’s Kiss and Adaptation.
But when asked what he would advise a Nic Cage newcomer to watch, the actor immediately fires back with 2021 indie drama Pig.
“It’s something that I think people can get something out of,” Cage says by way of explanation.
“Because tragedy is going to hit all of us at some point. It’s just a matter of when. It’s also a movie that to me is like a folk song. It’s a very quiet, gentle movie, which is the opposite of what we started our conversation with – people thinking I’m crazy.”
Pig stars Cage as a former chef who now hunts truffles with his beloved prize pig. But as the actor alludes to, tragedy strikes, precipitating violence, and bloody revenge.
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“I’d never done anything like that before,” Cage says of the process on Pig. “Where I felt like I got close to putting a meditation on camera, or a haiku.”
In terms of authenticity – and finding truth through performance – Cage also connects Pig with his new horror that hits screens this week, explaining: “I think Pig got there, and I think Dream Scenario got there, and, in some weird way, Longlegs got there.”
Cage is currently receiving rave reviews for the latter, in which he plays a serial killer being tracked by Maika Monroe’s FBI agent.
Here’s what we wrote about his terrifying turn in our Longlegs review: “Then there’s Nicolas Cage, who deserves all the credit for forging his horror renaissance. It’s been incredibly fun to watch, and his performance here only solidifies his status.”
Longlegs arrives in cinemas on Friday, July 12. Head here for more new movies coming out this month. While if it’s horror you’re after, here’s everything you need to know about, Smile 2, Terrifier 3, and 28 Years Later.
