The movie Francis Ford Coppola accused Nicolas Cage of ruining: “He hasn’t asked me to work with him again”
As a member of the Coppola dynasty, Nicolas Cage is as close to film royalty as anyone can get, and that was before he set about amassing a varied and eclectic filmography over the course of decades.
Cage has well and truly earned himself a reputation as one of his generation’s most singular talents, delighting audiences with his charisma and versatility in the roles he’s taken on during an illustrious career. His work speaks to confidence in his own ability, best displayed by how adventurous he’s always been as an actor, never quite staying in one area or genre for too long.
As part of the Coppola clan, he would inevitably work with his legendary uncle Francis Ford Coppola before too long, even if he adopted a stage name to make it on his own. There were no issues when he played minor roles in Rumble Fish and The Cotton Club, but when Cage was bumped up to second billing in Peggy Sue Got Married, issues arose.
Cage turned down the part of Charlie Bodell four times before relenting, explaining to David Sheff that he finally relented because Coppola “really wanted me to be in it”. This being Cage, though, he had his own suggestions for how to approach the character.
“I asked, ‘If I do it, can I change my voice and do something different with it?” he explained. “How different?” I said, ‘I want to talk like Pokey’. You know, from The Gumby Show,” he said in reference to the claymation favourite’s sidekick. “I was channel surfing, and I heard that voice. It stuck with me. That’s the way my brain works. My character was an adult who goes back to high school when guys’ voices haven’t necessarily changed yet.”
In defiance of Coppola’s criticism of his performance, Cage drew attention to how “Kathleen Turner got an Academy Award nomination, and it made a lot of money” before describing how critics saw him as a “wart on an otherwise beautiful movie”. As for the director’s response to his nephew’s oddball turn, which split opinion straight down the middle? “Francis blamed me; he hasn’t asked me to work with him since.”
Cage’s generally passive response to such harsh critique is indicative of his attitude and changeability when it comes to his role as an actor. He was even hoping he’d get extended an invitation to join the cast of The Godfather Part III, but the divisive nature of his work in Peggy Sue Got Married hit that particular nail on the head.
The star was adamant that “I would be a more logical choice as Jimmy Caan’s son than Andy Garcia,” even if he’d already shot himself in the foot without even realising it by looking towards The Gumby Show for inspiration.
