The co-star Nicolas Cage said had “an aura and sense of mystery”
Eccentric thespian Nicholas Cage has graced our screens for decades. He often plays strange and amusing characters that seem to reflect the actor’s more peculiar sides, subsequently allowing him to bring the weird and wonderful facets of his personality to the forefront.
After appearing in several minor parts in movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Rumble Fish, the latter directed by his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, the actor earned more significant roles. He appeared in movies like Moonstruck alongside Cher, the Coen brothers’ Raising Arizona, and David Lynch’s campy classic Wild At Heart, paving the way for his future career.
The late 1990s and early 2000s gave Cage some high-profile roles, making him a mainstay in Hollywood. After bagging an Academy Award in 1995 for Leaving Las Vegas, Cage proved he could excel in less comedic roles, too. Since then, he’s appeared in many action films, lent his voice to various animated movies and even indulged in an incredibly meta movie about himself, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
The range of movies he has appeared in over the years has allowed him to interact with a large host of actors, from established stars to fresh-faced newcomers. He has even starred alongside those who would end up becoming massive actors, such as Penélope Cruz, with whom he appeared with in the 2001 romantic war film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
Directed by John Madden, the film is set during the ‘40s and follows Cage’s Captain Antonio Corelli and Cruz’s Pelagia, who fall in love despite her initial disapproval of him. At the time, Cruz had honed a burgeoning career in Spanish and Italian films, only appearing in her first American film in 1998 – The Hi-Lo Country.
Thus, she only began to be recognised in Hollywood as the new millennium emerged, with roles in movies such as Blow with Johnny Depp and All About My Mother, which, although being a Spanish-language film, made a significant dent in America, winning an Academy Award for ‘Best Foreign Language Film’.
Her performance in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin was praised, although it is not one of her most memorable films. Still, Cage thought she was magnificent, sharing his admiration for the star in an interview on Cinema.com. He explained, “She’s an incredibly gifted actress. The emotions just come in waves over her face which is very, very expressive and you never get the sense that she’s ‘acting’ or having to work at playing a scene.”
He continued, “Her performance flows seamlessly and it makes you feel more present and concentrated when you work with someone of that calibre.” The actor seemed to predict Cruz’s imminent success, although it surely didn’t take a genius to recognise that, during this time, Cruz was almost certainly set for major success.
When asked if her “beauty and talent” would make her a big star, Cage replied, “I wouldn’t be surprised. There are a lot of talented and beautiful actresses in Hollywood, but Penélope brings something more than that. There’s an aura and sense of mystery to her that audiences are bound to pick up on.”
