Nicolas Cage did an AMA on Reddit yesterday and he came off as a real humble guy. No surprise there. I’ve never met him, would love to, but all the accounts I’ve heard are that of a humbled, slightly shy and eccentric fella.
He admitted in the AMA what the three favourite performances/movies of his were:
“I think Leaving Las Vegas, Pig and Bringing Out The Dead are my three favorite performances of my own body of work. I have not seen Leaving Las Vegas recently, however that movie and Elizabeth Shue’s work in that movie are what I aspire to continue towards, and did continue towards with Pig, which is why I am always going to be up for small budget, independent, dramas.”
I decided to scroll through his filmography and — hot damn — there are so many great movies to choose from. What a career this guy’s had. And, know what? Despite a stretch of years where he was close to bankruptcy and took on roles purely on the basis of a paycheck, he’s never phoned it in.
”Pig” wouldn’t figure in my Cage top ten, but the other two would. In no particular order:
Leaving Las Vegas, Bad Lieutenant, Matchstick Men, Adaptation, Bringing Out the Dead, Face/Off, Red Rock West, Wild at Heart, Moonstruck and Raising Arizona
And I’m not even including some of his more underrated works, such as Mandy, Joe, Lord of War, Mom & Dad, Dog Eat Dog, and Kick- Ass.
You can read my essay here on why Cage should be considered a great actor and among the ten most influential of the 21st century. His latest film is titled “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” and I’ll have a review of it filed and published by Monday evening.
The man doesn't stop. James Gunn has confirmed he's already hard at work writing his next film, even as ‘Man of Tomorrow’ makes its way toward theaters next summer.