Getting a big Hollywood star into a movie is never easy, but it’s doubly difficult when a role is written specifically for an actor. That was certainly the case with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which Nicolas Cage portrays a fictionalized version of himself.
The film was written by Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, who wrote the screenplay before meeting Nicolas Cage. In a new interview with , the two men shed light on the difficult process of buying a script that only one actor can star in.
More from IndieWire
“We’ve been told that Nick has done these projects before and he’s not as keen on Nick as Nick,” Etten said. “And we weren’t two guys who had a massive amount of work to do that you could point to and say, ‘No, trust us.'”
Although Cage was reluctant to play himself, several studios took an interest in the script. But while this scenario would be a dream come true for most screenwriters, the pair were keenly aware of how quickly everything could fall apart.
“The funny thing was that we have a lot of studios interested in the script,” Gornican recalled. “But all those meanings are asterisked, if he doesn’t want it your sale will be lost.” By the way, we don’t want that damn thing if he’s not around. There is no other version of it. When he read the script, it was like that kind of double anxiety. It’s not like we offer it to someone else if they don’t. It was gone.”
While anxiously awaiting Cage’s decision, Gormican and Etten began to consider contingency plans. One of which was coaxing one of the most reclusive actors of all time out of retirement.
“There were times when I thought I… was trying to talk myself into other ideas,” Etten said. “The only really good idea – I don’t know whose it was – was to have either Christian Bale or Daniel Day-Lewis play Nick Cage.”
The story goes on
The fact that the only backup plans involved other actors playing Cage is a testament to his unique presence, as neither Gormican nor Etten felt another actor’s public persona could anchor the film.
“No one else really has a blend of the super high talent that they have and the good will of the people who want them to be successful,” Etten said.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is in theaters now.
The best of IndieWire
Sign up for Indiewire’s newsletter. Follow us for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to read the full article.