Nicolas Cage’s Next Career Could be in Archery: “There aren’t too many things that I will come out and say I’m a natural at, and there’s only one thing that I knew I was. When I started doing archery, that was the first time I really found something besides acting that I thought, ‘Maybe I can do this.’
The archery in that movie was mine. I did all that. I’m happy to say that. I really enjoyed it. I’d like to continue doing it when I get some time. There was one shot where Gore goes, ‘Get the arrow a little closer to the camera.’ There was this scene in the snow where I’m drawing down on my nemesis and we had to get the arrow really close to the camera, and the arrow went right through the matte box and Gore kept it. I’m very happy about that.”
Chicago as the Setting for “The Weather Man:” “It’s a very important location to ‘The Weather Man.’ We have to make the distinction between weathermen. A Chicago weatherman is not the same animal as an L.A. weatherman. Let’s face it. We have perfect weather most of the time. In Chicago, people really rely on their weatherman. It can make the difference between making it home alive sometimes or not. It’s that cold.
As you know, in Chicago, it’s an event. People, very often, stay at home. It also reflects itself in the culture. [Steve] Conrad, who wrote the script, would talk about very often people would just come over to each other’s homes and have coffee and talk because of the weather. So, Chicago, that location was intrinsic and instrumental to the whole movie. It is a character in the movie; Chicago and the weather. “
Nicolas Cage on Starring in “Ghost Rider:” “Well, it’s very simple and it may sound strange but I am Ghost Rider. It wasn’t that challenging. I had all the honest ways of expressing that character and I’m very curious to see how people will respond to it.”
Cage went on to elaborate on exactly why he feels he is Ghost Rider. “ Well, he was a man who is just trying to take a negative and turn it into a positive, like we all do. We’ve been talking about that here today with ‘The Weather Man.’ I try to take movies and do something positive with any negative feelings I’ve had.
Johnny Blaze is a superhero who had a very horrible thing happen to him and he’s taking that negative and he’s going to make something positive out of it no matter what. In that way, I guess, I am Ghost Rider.”
Nicolas Cage on Oliver Stone’s 9/11 Project: Cage is getting ready to star in Oliver Stone’s as-yet-untitled September 11th film based on the true story of two Port Authority police officers who were pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center.
“I’ve met with John McLoughlin and his family, spent some time with him, talked through things. Spent some time with the Port Authority and met all the other surviving members of the tragedy that were there.
I’ve just sort of talked through it with Oliver. I get the feeling from Oliver, and the work that they’ve done on the screenplay, that they want to make it pretty cinema verite so it’ll be like real time unfolding with a lot of technical jargon you might not understand, but it’s going to smack of reality. They’re going to try to get it as real as they can.
I’m happy to say that Oliver and I have been trying to work together for many years and it hasn’t happened. I’m happy to say that we waited for this one because this one is so positive about the human condition. The buildings themselves aren’t exploited. I don’t think you can see the skyline. It’s more about what happened among this handful of men when the buildings came down; where they went to survive and how they coped.”
Nicolas Cage on Why He Still Works So Hard: “The reality is I haven’t been on deck since ‘National Treasure’ and that’s a year, so I do about two movies a year. It works out that way. I have two movies coming out each year. To me, that’s not too much but, on top of that, yeah, I like to work. It’s part of my spiritual beliefs. I like to do something with my time that is productive. I want to serve, and I feel I’m serving myself and I’m serving you by working. I’m not going to just sit around by the pool and luxuriate myself with a margarita. That, to me, is not where I want to be. So, yeah, work is part of my principles.”
