When Nicolas Cage lost his cool on the set: “Don’t you dare tell me how to act!”
American actor Nicolas Cage is an undisputed icon of Hollywood, having crafted an impressive list of credits since the 1980s, ranging from epic blockbusters to comedies, independent dramas, and animated children’s films.
As the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, Cage’s early acting roles include parts in his uncle’s movies, such as Rumble Fish, The Cotton Club and Peggy Sue Got Married. The 1980s established Cage as a star capable of diverse roles, landing himself starring roles in movies like Valley Girl and The Boy in Blue.
The following decades have been incredibly good to Cage. Despite starring in a handful of duds, he has collected enough spectacular credits to maintain his star power, keeping him in high demand. From David Lynch’s Wild At Heart to John Woo’s Face/Off and Spike Jonze’s Adaptation, you never know quite what to expect from Cage.
As his reputation grew at the end of the 1980s, the actor found himself in some future cult classics, such as Joel and Ethan Coen’s Raising Arizona, released in 1987. That same year, Cage starred in Norman Jewison’s Moonstruck, a romantic comedy led by singer and actor Cher. The movie follows Cher’s Loretta, who falls in love with Cage’s Ronny, the younger brother of her fiancé.
The movie earned three Oscars, including ‘Best Actress’ for Cher. Although Cage’s performance was not recognised by the Academy, it helped elevate his name further, and he bagged himself a nomination for ‘Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy’ at the Golden Globes.
However, during production, Cage was irritated by one of his co-stars, Julie Bovasso. The actor, who was a prominent experimental theatre performer, can also be recognised as Tony’s mother in Saturday Night Fever. She had a relatively small part in Moonstruck, yet that didn’t stop her from trying to give Cage some unwelcome acting advice.
During an interview with Rolling Stone, Cage revealed, “She was saying, ‘Come on, loud and fast, that’s how you do it, loud and fast’. And I was doing it very sotto voce, taking my time with it.” Clearly, Cage doesn’t want his acting process to be interrupted; he added: “I believe that there’s only one director on the set, and I got mad.”
The actor wasn’t joking when he claimed to have gotten angry. He allegedly proceeded to throw a chair before saying, “Don’t you dare tell me how to act!” However, Cage revealed, “I did apologise later. And after that, she was very sweet about it.”
