The trailer has dropped for the new Nicolas Cage film in which he plays... himself. Watch it here:
In forthcoming action-comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Cage plays a fictionalised version of himself, starring alongside the likes of Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Tiffany Haddish and Neil Patrick Harris.
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The plot follows Cage as he begrudgingly accepts an invite to attend a birthday party of Mexican billionaire super fan and notorious drug lord Javi (Pascal), who forces Cage to recreate some of his most iconic characters in order to save his kidnapped wife and daughter.
The storyline requires the actor to have two roles - one as a down-and-out struggling actor trying to return to his glory days, and another as his younger self from when he was a huge star.
Sounds like a weird and wonderful ride - not that Cage has any idea, as he's vowed not to watch it.
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Speaking to Collider, he said: "I'm never going to see that movie.
"But it's just too much of a whacked-out trip for me to go to a movie theater and watch me play Tom Gormican's highly-neurotic, anxiety-ridden version of me."
Cage continued: "[Tom] kept pushing me in that direction. I said, 'Tom, that's not really me. I'm really [made of] quiet, meditative, thoughtful moments. I'm not this neurotic, high-strung, anxiety-ridden guy all the time.'
"But he said, 'Well, neurotic Cage is the best Cage.'
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"I said, 'Okay, okay. Let's go, man. I'll do what you want.'
"I won't see it. But I do hope you enjoy it."
Cage had also previously stressed that the character was simply a 'stylised' take on himself.
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Speaking to Empire last year, he said: “Remember that talk show I went on, Wogan, when I was promoting Wild At Heart?
“Young Nic Cage [in the film] will be that guy.
"But this is a very stylised version of me. It’s definitely just me ‘taking the piss’, as they say, out of myself.”
The actor added: “I don’t like to look back. But this movie kind of pushes it all back in my face.
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"I’m probably going to have to look at a couple of the movies from the past again, because I think we’re gonna have to reenact some of those sequences. It’s like walking through a Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari version of Con Air and Face/Off.”
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is due to hit cinemas on 22 April 2022.
Featured Image Credit: Lionsgate