Nicolas Cage’s bizarre first attempt at method acting: “Nobody stole my Twinkies again”
Even though he isn’t technically a method actor, Nicolas Cage got his first taste for disappearing into a role at an early age. He might have been a child, and it was definitely a weird thing for a kid to do, but it nonetheless laid the groundwork for his career as Hollywood’s marquee onscreen maverick.
Everybody knows that Cage changed his name to distance himself from any accusations of nepotism arising from his ties to the Coppola dynasty, just like everyone knows he adopted his stage name from his favourite comic book character, Luke Cage. He’s always been a touch on the bizarre side, and it turns out that’s been the case since his school days.
Growing up enamoured with the likes of James Dean and Marlon Brando, young Nicky Coppola obviously did the complete opposite of his inspirations when he decided to try and break into acting. They were students of the method, and he cast his eye across centuries of performing arts to develop a style that can’t be replicated by anyone else.
Many actors have cited Cage as an inspiration, but they can’t do what he does. If anything, it’s a testament to his legacy that – as Ethan Hawke suggested – he’s the first and only actor of the post-Brando era who’s actually been able to put their own identifiable stamp on the craft. Countless performers have tried to emulate Brando, but nobody’s brave – or stupid – enough to mimic Cage.
Once the acting bug had bitten him, it was the only thing he wanted to do with his life. Fortunately, he got an early taste of how to disappear into a character when he was getting picked on by his peers, forcing Cage to come up with a solution that absolutely no other eight-year-old on the planet would devise to overcome their tormentors.
“When I was eight or thereabouts, I was bullied on the school bus by a boy who kept stealing my Twinkies,” he explained to Salon. “So I got dressed up as my bigger brother, slicked back my hair and put on his shades and boots, along with an attitude or swagger, and tried to pass myself off as Nicky Coppola’s brother Richard, and told him I was going to kick him right up his ass. Nobody stole my Twinkies again.”
Obviously, Cage pretending to be his older brother to keep himself out of the line of fire doesn’t sound that odd in the grand scheme of things, but this being the industry’s premiere meme generator, there’s a catch. While it’s true that he has two older brothers, Marc and Christopher, there’s no such person as Richard Coppola.
From his grandfather Carmine to the latest generation of Coppolas, including The Last Showgirl director Gia, there’s been no Richard. He had two perfectly good siblings he could choose from, but he decided to create an entirely new third one to get one over on his bullies.
