When Nicolas Cage took his ‘Ghost Rider’ performance too far
If you’ve ever wondered how far one could stretch the boundaries of method acting, look no further than the enigmatic Nicolas Cage. The Hollywood icon, known for his unorthodox approaches, fashioned his acting style, ‘Nouveau Shamanism’. A technique steeped in seeking ‘the truth’, it is a distinct interpretation of the method acting ethos that he uniquely tailors to his roles, even if it means pushing the envelope perhaps a tad too far.
His performance in 2011’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, the flaming demon-based Marvel sequel, best exemplifies this. For his experience of portraying the menacing alter-ego of stunt rider Johnny Blaze, the actor’s approach involved unconventional strategies, from painting his face with a voodoo-style mask to wearing black contact lenses. Recalling a discussion with the director, Cage shared: “I said to him, ‘Well, look, if I do this can I wear a mask?’ Because I was concerned about feeling ridiculous on the set.”
But Cage, ever the innovator, didn’t stop there. He took things a step further by carrying mystical objects on his person. Speaking to the BBC during the press tour for the film’s release, Cage explained: “I would gather things together to wear in my wardrobe, like a bit of Egyptian artefacts from a pyramid.”
Not satisfied with the proximity to ancient relics, the actor revealed that he would “sew them in, or get some rocks together that had a frequency in the new age community.”
Despite the seeming eccentricity, Cage assured there was a method to his madness. “Whether they work or not – or you believe it or not, if you’re an actor and you give yourself over to it, it can stimulate your imagination and your psyche to believe you’re the Ghost Rider,” he asserted.
Furthermore, Cage’s silent and masked presence on set didn’t just create a creepy aura; it also stirred fear in his fellow actors. “I saw the fear in the other actor’s eyes, and that only inspired me more to believe I was this spirit from another dimension,” he shared. An unorthodox strategy? Certainly. An effective one? Seemingly so.
Whether it’s ‘flipping out’ in scenes or seeking characters that allow him to realise his “abstract dreams as a filmmaker”, Cage’s unusual method serves his unique performances. Drawing comparisons to van Gogh’s twisted imagery or the distorted realism of Francis Bacon, Cage mused: “That means I have to find a character who is outside of our reference point or has a problem of some sort that enables me to act that way.”
From voodoo masks to artefacts from ancient pyramids, Nicolas Cage’s foray into ‘Nouveau Shamanism’ in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is one for the books. And while some may dub his method as a trifle excessive, there’s no denying the unforgettable impression he leaves in every role he undertakes. Judging by his Renfield co-star Nicholas Hoult’s consumption of actual insects, perhaps there’s something a little infectious about Cage’s approach. We may think he took it too far for Ghost Rider, but for the actor, there’s no such thing as ‘too far’ in the world of Nicolas Cage.
