Nicolas Cage shines as 2023 Dracula of the Year (courtesy of Lionsgate)
Nicolas Cage had not made a film in which he played the leading role for many years. In fact, in most films he has appeared in since 1986, his name has been the first in the credits. However, in “Renfield” he is third, after Nicolas Colt and Awkwafina. He made the decision with a very strong motive.
Cage couldn’t pass up the chance to hook up with his father, professor, producer and inventor August Coppola, a man who raised his children alone while his wife was in and out of mental hospitals. The father who took his kids to the cinema to watch all sorts of films—even the ones that were unsuitable for their age—the one who took them to the studios as Uncle Francis (yes, Francis Ford Coppola) made masterpieces, and The one who did He didn’t hesitate when the youngest of his three sons wanted to be an actor, even giving up the family name “to avoid being favored or accused of nepotism.”
Dracula’s voice and appearance
Dracula owed Nicolas Cage or he owed Dracula. It all depends on how it looks. The American actor had only approached the Vampire King as a man who mistook him for Dracula. That’s Vampire’s Kiss, the black comedy that also stars María Conchita Alonso.
When Coppola spoke, “I would channel my dad August Coppola and his way of speaking because he loved speaking with honors because he’s a literature professor,” Cage said in an interview with Yahoo Life & Style. But the truth is, the artist wasn’t Dracula, he was someone who thought he was Dracula, and the character continued to garner a lot of attention.
Nicolas Cage was accompanied by his father August Coppola to the premiere of his film Moonstruck in 1987. (Barry King/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)
“Many Draculas have been made, many well. Many more not so good. I wanted to be in the group of those who did well,” he said. When the suggestion to be in Renfield came to him, he saw an opportunity to make it happen. He was convinced when director Chris McKay was blown away by the voice he chose for the character, the same one he had inspired from his father. “He supported me in that because we didn’t want it to be the silly Dracula sound, like a parody or a Transylvania sketch. So we focused on the mid-Atlantic[Connecticut area]sound.” And you know who else had that accent? Anne Bancroft as Mrs Robinson in ‘The Graduate’. Those two were my inspiration for the voice.”
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Putting the look together was more difficult. He started with his teeth, thinking about “Lon Chaney, in a movie called ‘London After Midnight’ (1927) where Chaney had these fangs with his top hat in his mouth. And that was the main inspiration for this look for Dracula. Also Christopher Lee in the Hammer horror films. That was also a big inspiration,” Cage explained. “I looked at all my favorite interpretations of Dracula and picked what I liked as a stepping stone. And then I got into the idea of what I can bring new things, with freshness or spark.”
A stroke of luck
The other magnet that drew Nicolas Cage to Renfield was where it would take place. The production chose the city of New Orleans, one of the actor’s favorite cities, as the location for the story and filming. There he has land in the old cemetery and wants his remains to rest in the pyramid-shaped crypt. He had previously acquired the legendary estates LaLaurie Mansion and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel, but lost them in 2009 when he filed for bankruptcy.
Cage said spending time in the city was “a gift,” but it fell short of that along the way. When filming of Renfield began, Japanese actress Riko Shibata was pregnant. The couple, who married in Las Vegas in 2021, gave birth to their daughter in September 2022.
The actor was surrounded by memories of his father during filming and pregnancy. When his daughter was born, Cage decided to pay tribute to her father and uncle by naming the girl after August Francis Coppola. Augie tells him, feeling his father sent it to him. “I feel like in a way she’s a gift that almost came from him in the sense that he always wanted a girl. He never had that experience. So I live what he wanted. So in that sense it’s like a gift. yours,” he confessed.
August Coppola, the educator
When talking about his father, Nicolas Cage’s face is a collection of the wonderful expressions he has displayed throughout his extraordinary career. It becomes clear that there were turbulent moments between them. Also the great love that still exists. He misses him very much. “I miss having an abalone and a martini and chatting with him at Beach (Restaurant) 21.”
And he assured that his father “would be delighted to return as Dracula, that he would love it,” before proceeding to mimic his voice. “You know, Nicholas, I’m Dracula,” he said between laughs.
He becomes thoughtful as he compares his experiences. “I think we have separate lives or we have had separate lives, different interests. My interest has always been film acting. His had more to do with it. What is blind experience and touch and the haptic world, and so much that he’s invented a walk-in tactile dome in San Francisco. He was an educator. He was a great thinker and educator. Whereas I’m going more down the path of film acting.”
“My father loved it. He loved the young spirit. He loved the student spirit. What he was most passionate about was the young generation and what they thought and how they could move forward together,” he added, declaring himself “happy” that his fans are learning more about him.
Laughter, compassion and terror
Like all great artists, Nicolas Cage puts all his emotions at the service of his art. “Finding something that is as emotionally important to me (as his father was) brings depth and solemnity to the character and the performance. It has a personal connection. It became more than just acting,” he said.
Something Else is a term that can be applied to anything “Renfield” related. The film focuses on Dracula’s assistant who wants to change jobs, which doesn’t make his boss happy. The performances by Nicolas Holt and Awkwafina are spectacular. Cage surpasses his talent as the first great Dracula of this century. The gore and comedy are intentionally excessive and work well. Freshness and fright are words that don’t typically go together in one sentence, but they work to describe this production.
“I want everyone to go and enjoy it. I mean it’s funny and scary, but it also speaks about issues that are relevant today and treats them with compassion. You know, that toxic boss-employee situation or even romantic relationships. These things can happen and go wrong,” explains the actor.
But he also wants them to see a little piece of his father. “Well, in a way, I feel like channeling it for Dracula brings it back to me,” he said.