Nicolas Cage is currently haunting the big screens as a serial killer whose name follows Hannibal’s on the list of scariest on-screen serial killers. Films involving characters that have to go through massive changes in terms of appearance are often known to be using strange props.
Cage’s movie Longlegs seems to be no different as one of the products used in his character Dale Ferdinand Cobble’s appearance was inspired by the actor’s own experience with his mother. During an interview, he revealed how a cold cream his mother used once.
Spoilers for Longlegs ahead!
Nicolas Cage On How A Childhood Experience Helped in Transforming into His Longlegs Character
Nicolas Cage has been in the entertainment industry for more than four decades. From the Marvel Comics character of Ghost Rider to the treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates, he has played a variety of characters over the years. He has also received an Academy Award, one Golden Globe, and two BAFTAs for his performances.
Despite being a phenomenal actor, his career faced slumps for some time. However, that is no longer the case as movies like Pig and Dream Scenario have earned him renewed recognition in the industry. His most recent venture Longlegs alongside Maika Monroe is also taking the internet by storm.
Cage’s character Dale has an unnaturally white complexion, and he has now revealed the secret behind it. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said:
My mom put on Noxzema cold cream. I was 2 years old, and I opened the bathroom door [to see] what she was doing. For no reason, she turned her face really fast and stared at me after [putting on] the cold cream. The whiteness of the cold cream just really spooked me.
What was a rather “spooky” incident for a young Cage gave him an ingredient for the horror thriller that will keep the cinephiles at the edge of their seats.
Nicolas Cage’s Late Mother’s Diagnosis Helped in Shaping His Disturbing Character
This is not the first time Cage has played a disturbing character. Fans have also seen that side of him in movies like Face/Off, Mandy, and Bringing Out the Dead. Even so, Longlegs stands out among these because he used his mother’s diagnosis to shape his character.
In a previous interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cage revealed how he used his mother’s lifelong schizophrenia and severe depression as an inspiration.
It was a deeply personal kind of performance for me because I grew up trying to cope with what she was going through. She would talk in terms that were kind of poetry. I didn’t know how else to describe it. I tried to put that in the Longlegs character because he’s really a tragic entity.
Tragic is one of the words that can be used to describe Dale. He uses possessed dolls to target families that have a 9-year-old daughter born on a specific day and kills himself by smashing his face over and over on the interrogation table.
Longlegs is now in theaters.
Frequently asked questions
What real-life memory shaped the villain’s look in Longlegs?
Nicolas Cage has said his character’s unnaturally pale complexion was inspired by a childhood memory of watching his mother apply Noxzema cold cream. Cage recalled being about two years old and finding the whiteness of the cream on her face startling, a memory he channeled into the villain’s disturbing, ghost-like appearance in the film.
How did Nicolas Cage’s mother influence his performance beyond the character’s look?
Cage has said he also drew on his late mother’s lifelong struggle with schizophrenia and severe depression when building the character’s psychology, describing the villain as “really a tragic entity.” He noted using her distinctive, poetic manner of speaking as inspiration for how the character communicates.
What has helped revive Nicolas Cage’s career in recent years?
Cage’s career has seen a resurgence thanks to acclaimed performances in films like Pig and Dream Scenario, ahead of his headline turn in Longlegs alongside Maika Monroe. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Cage has won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor.
