Career Retrospective: Nicolas Cage

                       
Nephew of Genius and Legendary Film Director, Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas Cage has truly come a long way.

The son of comparative literature professor August Coppola (a brother of director Francis Ford Coppola) and dancer/choreographer Joy Vogelsang, Cage changed his name early in his career to make his own reputation, succeeding brilliantly with a host of classic, quirky roles by the late 1980s.


Initially studying theatre at Beverly Hills High (though he dropped out at 17), he secured a bit part in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) -- most of which was cut, dashing his hopes and leading to a job selling popcorn at the Fairfax Theater, Thinking that would be the only route to a movie career. But a job reading lines with auditioners for uncle Francis' Rumble Fish (1983) landed him a role in that film, followed by the punk-rocker in Valley Girl (1983), which was released first and truly launched his career.



Keep reading, as we take a brief look at the infamous career of Nicolas Cage. Let's evalute the last 3 decades of Cage's work..it's interesting how Cage went from being the 3rd or 4th lead to being the highest paying actor, and now..well let's not focus on the straight to dvds and hope Cage bounces back to the leading man.  

Here's a look at Cage in 1982, 1992 and 2002.

            1982- Nicolas Cage in 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High'


1982 -Cage in Fast Times at Ridgemont High




1992 -Honeymoon in Vegas

Its here when Cage started to see more offers come through, yet he continued to struggle with being on par with Tom Cruise & Denzel Washington.  In 1992, Cruise was working with Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon in a 'Few Good Men' ; Denzel Washington was coming out in 'Malcom X'. Yet Cage starred in 'Honeymoon in Vegas'.

 

2002- Nicolas Cage in 'Adaption'

Between 1992 and 2002, Cage saw a steady up rise in his career.

2000The Family Man
Jack Campbell

2000Gone in Sixty Seconds
Memphis Raines

1999Bringing Out the Dead
Frank Pierce

19998MM
Tom Welles

1998Snake Eyes
Rick Santoro

1998City of Angels
Seth

1997Face/Off
Castor Troy / Sean Archer

1997Con Air
Cameron Poe

1996The Rock
Stanley Goodspeed

1995Leaving Las Vegas
Ben Sanderson

It was in 1995, when Cage became the "A" list with his performance in 'Leaving Las Vegas' for which he won an Oscar.

Roles turned down by Nic Cage: The Breakfast Club  Nicolas Cage was considered to play John Bender. Actor who got the part: Judd Nelson Chaplin  Nicolas Cage was considered to play Charles Chaplin. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  Nicolas Cage was considered to play Willy Wonka. Actor who got the part: Johnny Depp Constantine  Nicolas Cage was set to play John Constantine at one time. Actor who got the part: Keanu Reeves Encino Man  Nicolas Cage was considered for the role of Link. Actor who got the part: Brendan Fraser Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind  Nicolas Cage was considered for the role of Joel Barish. Actor who got the part: Jim Carrey Fast Times at Ridgemont High  Nicolas Cage was cast in the roll of Brad, but he was 17 at the time and could not work at night, so he was then cast as one of Brad's friends.Actor who got the part: Judge Rienhold The Ghost  Nicolas Cage was mentioned as the star of Roman Polanski's movie based on Robert Harris' political  novel about a ghostwriter. Actor who got the part: Ewan McGregor The Godfather: Part III  Nicolas Cage was considered for the role of Vincent. (Cage is the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola) Actor who got the part: Andy Garcia Iron Man  As early as 1997, Nicolas Cage expressed interest in being cast in the lead role. Actor who got the part: Robert Downey Jr. The Life of David Gale  Cage was considered for the role of David Gale. Actor who got the part: Kevin Spacey Man on the Moon  Nicolas Cage was rumored to be considered for the part of Andy Kaufman. Actor who got the part: Jim Carrey Monkeybone  Cage was origninally considered for the part of Stu, when the film was pitched with a darker tone. Actor who got the part: Brendan Fraser Once Upon a Time in Mexico  Nicolas Cage turned down the role of Sands. Actor who got the part: Johnny Depp The Outsiders  Nicolas Cage auditioned to play Dally. When he didn't get that role, he was offered (but turned down) the role of "Two-Bit." Actor who got the part: Emilio Estevez The Perfect Storm  Cage was reportedly cast as Bobby Shatford but had to back out. Actor who got the part: Mark Wahlberg Red Dragon  Nicolas Cage was considered for the role of Dolarhyde. Actor who got the part: Ralph Fiennes Risky Business  Was turned down for the role Joel. Actor who got the part: Tom Cruise Spider-Man  Cage was offered the role of the Green Goblin. Actor who got the part: Willem Dafoe Superman Returns  When the film first entered pre-production (mid 1990's) Nicolas Cage was considered for the part of Superman. Actor who got the part: Brandon Routh The m The Thin Red Line  Nicolas Cage was considered for the role of Gordon Tall. Actor who got the part: Nick Nolte The Wrestler  Nicolas Cage was originally going to be the main character in the movie "The Wrestler" but later turned down the role. Actor who got the part: Mickey Rourke

Then came The Rock, Con Air, Face Off, Gone in Sixty Seconds and of course my favorite- The Family Man.  During these years is when Cage was competing with Cruise, Gibson, Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
   

       




Here's a great clip of director Brett Ratner talking about his experience in working with Cage for 'The Family Man'



 Here's list of  Nic Cage movies and the salary he earned:
( thanks to IMDB.com)

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)	$240,000
The Rock (1996)	$4,000,000
Face/Off (1997)	$6,000,000
Snake Eyes (1998)	$16,000,000
Bringing Out the Dead (1999)	$10,000,000
Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)	$20,000,000

2012- Nicolas Cage in Ghost Rider

"Hollywood didn't know if I was an actor or a nut or if I was this crazy character I was playing. I had developed an image of being a little bit unusual, different and wild."- Nic Cage


It was after Lord of War that Cage's career started to take in a different direction.  Cage started to drop more bombs than a Fighter Jet in Vietnam!  'The Weather Man', 'The Wicker Man', 'Next', 'Bangkok Dangerous', 'Knowing', to name a few..

            

Cage was once in direct competition with Tom Cruise, Mel Gibon, George Clooney to name a few..yet now he's in a race with Jean Claude Van Damme with his straight to dvd releases. 

Will Cage ever bounce back and take back his position as Hollywood's go to guy for Action / Drama / Comedy?

In my opinion, Cage has his moments.  His work in Match Stick Men was one of his best performances:






And who can forget his work in Face Off:






And here's a peak of some of  Cage's worst performances: 



Here's a list of some of the roles that I feel Cage would have done well in:

1. Michael Clayton- George Clooney's part
2. Taking of Pelhan 123- John Travolta's part
3. The Wrestler - Mickey Rourke's part
4. American Gangster- Russel Crowe's part
5. Batman Begins- Liam Neelson's part

How about a re-make of Michael Mann's all time best 'Heat' with Cage and Travolta.  I think Cage would doing a great job playing the Pacino Part...




Here's an awesome moment...Nic Cage gives a surprise visit to Shock Jock Howard Stern during a Chris Rock interview.  ( FILM JUNKEE TRIVIA: Cage & Rock were suppose to work together in Burton's 'Super-Man').




In conclusion, Cage has made Hollywood alot of money, and he has delivered some great acting but will he ever be able to bounce back..?  only time will tell..perhaps a sequel to 'Face Off" or perhaps a part in 'Expendables 3'...either way, we will always love Nicolas Cage.