Summary
Nicolas Cage teases his anticipated upcoming role in the horror filmLonglegs. The Osgood Perkins-directed horror thriller tells the story of a serial killer who is being hunted down by an FBI agent who uncovers a series of occult-related clues that she must decode to stop the killer. In addition to Cage,Longlegsfeatures a leading cast including Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, and Michelle Choi-Lee.
Speaking withEntertainment Weekly, Cage teases his upcoming role inLonglegs. The actor described the film as “the equivalent of putting a warning label on a jar of nitroglycerin,” asthe character is “going to change your reality.“Cage also thought of his mother, who suffered from depression and schizophrenia, when playing the role inLonglegs, questioning “what exactly was it that drove [his] mother insane?“Longlegsacted as a “personal kind of performance” that sought to answer that question. Check out the full quote from Cage below:
It’s the equivalent of putting a warning label on a jar of nitroglycerin. The monster is a highly, highly dangerous substance. The way it’s moved, unveiled, deployed has to be treated very carefully. Forget about the movie theater blowing up; the whole city could blow up, nay the country, maybe even the world. He is going to change your reality. Your doors of perception are going to open, and your life is not going to be the same.
I was coming at it from, what exactly was it that drove my mother insane? 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. He’s at the mercy of these voices that are talking to him and getting him to do these things.
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A vicious serial killer would not often be considered an intimately personal role, so it is fascinating to hear Cage describe the part in that way. The actor’s experience growing up with a mentally ill mother has formed adeep sense of empathy with characters that may seem cold or inaccessibleat first, as Cage “grew up trying to cope with what she was going through.” In this, Cage saw the beauty in her, saying her speech was “kind of poetry.” This allowed Cage to see his villain as a “tragic entity” rather than merely a ruthless killer.
Cage’s interview shows the actor’s dedication to the role, but it is not just the actor’s words that bode well forLonglegs. Last month, horror producers Ken Kao and Josh Rosenbaum spoke incredibly highly ofLonglegs' horrorand Cage’s performance. In an exclusive interview withScreen Rant,Rosenbaum called the role “the most iconic horror Cage"and Kao noted that the film left him “really bothered.” This sense of being “really bothered” byLonglegsis something that Cage expresses as well in saying that one’s “life is not going to be the same” after watching the film.
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Director Perkins has also talked upCage’s role inLonglegs. Earlier Perkins mentioned that Cage has so fully transformed for the role that he “doesn’t sound like himself” and “he doesn’t walk like himself.” With the context of Cage’s most recent quote, this metamorphosis makes sense, as the actor worked to unlock an unseen aspect of his psyche that extended back to his upbringing. From the sounds of the existing praise forLonglegs, it seems like the work the actor put into the film will pay off.
Longlegs
Cast
Longlegs is a horror thriller film by writer-director Osgood Perkins. When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case, their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole riddled with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all. When the trail of evidence reveals a personal connection, it becomes a race against time to prevent another murder.
