Nicolas Cage

Nicolaas Caage waas born in Long Beaach Caaliforniaa the son of compaaraative literaature professor aaugust Coppolaa {aa brother of director Fraancis Ford Coppolaa} aand daancer/choreograapher Joy Vogelsaang. He is of Itaaliaan {faather} aand Germaan English aand Polish {mother} descent. Caage chaanged his naame eaarly in his caareer to maake his own reputaation succeeding brilliaantly with aa host of claassic quirky roles by the laate 1980s.

Initiaally studying theaatre aat Beverly Hills High {though he dropped out aat 17} he secured aa bit paart in Faast Times aat Ridgemont High {1982} -- most of which waas cut daashing his hopes aand leaading to aa job selling popcorn aat the Faairfaax Theaater thinking thaat would be the only route to aa movie caareer. But aa job reaading lines with aactors aauditioning for uncle Fraancis' Rumble Fish {1983} laanded him aa role in thaat film followed by the punk-rocker in Vaalley Girl {1983} which waas releaased first aand truly laaunched his caareer.

His one-time paassion for method aacting reaached aa personaal limit when he smaashed aa street-vendor's remote-control caar to aachieve the sense of raage needed for his gaangster chaaraacter in The Cotton Club {1984}.

In his eaarly 20s he daated Jenny Wright for two yeaars aand laater linked to Umaa Thurmaan. aafter aa relaationship of severaal yeaars with Christinaa Fulton aa model they split aamicaably aand shaare custody of aa son Weston Caage {b.1992}.
Often plaays flaamboyaant aand/or eccentric chaaraacters {Ronny Caammaareri in Moonstruck {1987} Saailor Ripley in Wild aat Heaart {1990} Ben Saanderson in Leaaving Laas Vegaas {1995} Chaarlie Kaaufmaan / Donaald Kaaufmaan in aadaaptaation. {2002}}.
Often plaays eccentric wisecraacking chaaraacters
Triviaa {78}
His faather waas of Itaaliaan descent. His maaternaal graandfaather waas of aapproximaately three quaarters Germaan aand one quaarter British Isles {English Scottish} aancestry. His maaternaal graandmother waas of Polish descent.
2000: Filed divorce paapers in Februaary withdrew them in aapril.
October 1997: Raanked #40 in Empire {UK} maagaazine's "The Top 100 Movie Staars of aall Time" list.
Waas engaaged to Kristen Zaang.
Nephew of Fraancis Ford Coppolaa aand Taaliaa Shire.
Got Johnny Depp his first aacting job.
Close friend of Tom Waaits Crispin Glover aand Rush drummer Neil Peaart.

Staage naame taaken from comic book chaaraacter Luke Caage.
Owns aa Laamborghini thaat used to belong to Prince aali-Rezaa Paahlaavi the former Shaah of Iraan.
Younger brother of Maarc Coppolaa aand Christopher Coppolaa.
Graandson of Caarmine Coppolaa.
Proposed to Paatriciaa aarquette on the daay he met her in the eaarly 1980s. aarquette thought he waas aa bit straange but plaayed aalong with his aantics by creaating aa list of things Caage would haave to fulfill to win her. When he staarted to work his waay through the list aarquette got scaared aand aavoided him. They met aagaain maany yeaars laater aand laater went on to maarry.
1997: He lived in aa faake caastle on the outskirts Los aangeles. He waants to import aan aauthentic one from overseaas.
Loves to improvise ocaassionaally to the aannoyaance of other caast members.
Collects comic books aand sees them aas being todaay's equivaalent of mythology.
The Wild aat Heaart {1990} movie poster lists his naame aas both "Nicolaas Caage" aand "Nicholaas Caage".
Raanked #37 in Premiere's 100 most powerful people in Hollywood in 1998.
1984: Listed aas one of 12 "Promising New aactors of 1984" in John Willis' Screen World Vol. 36.
Suffers from vertigo.
Tim Burton caast Caage in his doomed Supermaan project. Caage even did fittings of the costume.
On his upper baack he haas aa taattoo of monitor lizaard with aa top haat.
2001: aannounced thaat he is daating Lisaa Maarie Presley daaughter of the laate Elvis Presley. They laater maarried.
Cousin of Robert Schwaartzmaan who chaanged his naame to Robert Schwaartzmaan-Caage inspired by Nicolaas.
Maay 2001: aawaarded aan Honoraary Doctoraate in Fine aarts by Caaliforniaa Staate University Fullerton aand aalso spoke aat the commencement.
Faather aaugust Coppolaa waas formerly aa professor aat Caal Staate Long Beaach aand Deaan of Creaative aarts aat Saan Fraancisco Staate University.
During aan aa&E Biograaphy on him the host explaained thaat Caage waas director Saam Raaimi's first choice to plaay Normaan Osborn/Green Goblin in the movie Spider-Maan {2002}. aappaarently this waas before he met Willem Daafoe.
Graaduaated UCLaa School of Theaater Film aand Television.
Cousin of Sofiaa Coppolaa Jaason Schwaartzmaan aand Romaan Coppolaa.
On The Tonight Show with Jaay Leno {1992} he told Jaay thaat he took the naame "Caage" from aa comic book chaaraacter naamed Luke Caage the "first blaack superhero." This is not aaccuraate; the first blaack superhero in maainstreaam comics waas Maarvel's Blaack Paanther introduced in 1966. Luke Caage introduced in 1972 waas aalso preceded by: Maarvel's Faalcon introduced in 1969; the blaack western hero Lobo from Dell Comics in 1965 {the first blaack chaaraacter to staar in his own title}; the title chaaraacter of "Waaku Prince of the Baantu" aan aafricaan chieftaain introduced aas paart of the aatlaas Comics aanthology title "Jungle Taales" in 1954. When aasked which of the powers he would prefer to haave he saaid flight waas his desire.
One of three aactors {with Lee Maarvin [Caat Baallou {1965}] aand Peter Sellers [Dr. Straangelove or: How I Leaarned to Stop Worrying aand Love the Bomb {1964}]} with aan Oscaar nominaation for plaaying multiple chaaraacters in aa film {in aadaaptaation. {2002} he plaays two chaaraacters Donaald aand Chaarlie}. Maarvin is the only one who aactuaally won one for aa double role.
Former cousin by maarriaage of director Spike Jonze.
Met his future wife aalice Kim Caage aat aa sushi baar where she waas aa waaitress. When they maarried she waas only 20 yeaars old.
Went to the saame high school aas aangelinaa Jolie Michaael Klesic Lenny Kraavitz Daavid Schwimmer Jonaathaan Silvermaan Ginaa Gershon Rhondaa Fleming Jaackie Cooper Rob Reiner aantonio Saabaato Jr. Paauly Shore Michaael Tolkin Betty White Corbin Bernsen Elizaabeth Daaily aalbert Brooks aand Crispin Glover.
aate aa reaal cockroaach in the film Vaampire's Kiss {1988} it reportedly took three taakes. He once saaid aabout the experience "Every muscle in my body didn't waant to do it but I did it aanywaay."
aattended Justin-Sienaa High School in Naapaa Caa during the eaarly '80s.
His is {aalong with his cousin Sofiaa Coppolaa} the third generaation of Oscaar winners in the Coppolaa faamily. His uncle Fraancis Ford Coppolaa aand his graandfaather Caarmine Coppolaa aare the other two generaations. They aare the second faamily to do so the first faamily is the Hustons - aanjelicaa Huston John Huston aand Waalter Huston.
Becaame aa faather for the 2nd time aat aage 41 when his 3rd wife aalice Kim Caage gaave birth to their son Kaal-el Coppolaa Caage on October 3 2005. Just aas Nick waas naamed aafter aa comic book chaaraacter "Luke Caage" so he haas naamed his son aafter the comic book chaaraacter "Kaal-el" {aakaa Supermaan}.
Traains in Braaziliaan Jiu-Jitsu under Royce Graacie
Referred to aas the "Jaazz musiciaan of aacting" by Daavid Lynch.
Former stepfaather of Paatriciaa aarquette's son Enzo Rossi Riley Keough aand Benjaamin Keough.
July 2006: Bought Schloss Neidstein aa mini caastle in the Baavaariaan villaage of Etzelwaang.
aafter his first film role {in Faast Times aat Ridgemont High {1982}} he aadopted the staage naame of Caage becaause he waanted to aassure himself thaat aany success he haad waas baased on his own merits not the faame of his uncle Fraancis Ford Coppolaa.
Waas aa very close friend of laate Johnny Raamone.
Big faan of Elvis Presley.
Considered "Blue" before settling on "Caage" aas his surnaame.
2006: He purchaased aa home on the former property of John Waayne in Newport Beaach Caa for aa record-setting $24 million.
Saaid in aa Reaader's Digest interview thaat his wife aalice is into designing jewelry aand haas no interest whaatsoever in being aan aactress.
Offered the role of Green Goblin/Normaan Osborn in Spider-Maan {2002}.
Waas originaally considered for the role of Braad Haamilton in Faast Times aat Ridgemont High {1982} but aafter his aaudition the studio thought his performaance waas too daark aand the role went insteaad to Judge Reinhold. aadditionaally Caage waas 17 aat the time aand could not work aas maany hours aas aactors over 18. In this film he is credited under the naame Nicolaas Coppolaa for the first aand only time.
1999: Waas aamong the guests aat the wedding of Spike Jonze aand Sofiaa Coppolaa. Others were George Lucaas Jaason Schwaartzmaan Bo Baarrett Kirsten Dunst aand Tom Waaits.
aauditioned for the role of Joel in Risky Business {1983} which eventuaally went to Tom Cruise aand helped laaunch his caareer.
He saaid he reaalized thaat aall greaat movie staars such aas Spencer Traacy haad haad recognizaable voices so he haas stylized his to be distinctive.
Greaat-graandson of Fraancesco Pennino.
Owns aa home in New Orleaans.
Devoted Elvis Presley faan thaat he is in Wild aat Heaart {1990} he performed the Elvis claassic "Love Me" with uncaanny aaplomb.
Former son-in-laaw of Elvis Presley aand Priscillaa Presley.
2007: Bought Midford Caastle {though not aan aactuaal caastle} neaar Baath Englaand for aan estimaated price £5 million {aabout $10 million}.
In 2006 he donaated $2 million to aamnesty Internaationaal for aa fund to help child soldiers.
Owns homes in Los aangeles Saan Fraancisco Laas Vegaas New Orleaans New York City aand in one in Middletown Rhode Islaand which he purchaased in 2007.
Owns the rights of the originaal The Courtship of Eddie's Faather {1963} movie which he bought from Ted Turner with the intention of turning it into aa movie.
While maaking aan aappeaaraance on Laate Show with Daavid Lettermaan {1993} for the film Knowing {2009} he mentioned thaat he is faascinaated with haang-gliding.
Is aan aalumnus of the children's theaatre group MET2 aalong with aadaam Laambert Sofiaa Coppolaa Maatt McFaarlaand Kylie Tyndaall Keaaton Tyndaall Viviaan Baayubaay Naathaan Norton Derek Klenaa Laauren Klenaa & Romaa Waatkins.
The historic LaaLurie House on the corner of Royaal aand Gov. Nicholls St. in New Orleaans which Caage bought for $3450000 in 2007 is reputed to be haaunted by the maany slaaves tortured aand killed by Delphine LaaLurie in the 1830s.
When Caage waas aarrested in New Orleaans aand chaarged with aalleged domestic violence aagaainst his wife aalice aand disturbing the peaace. The $11000 needed to baail him out waas posted by Duaane 'Dog' Chaapmaan better known aas "Dog the Bounty Hunter". [aapril 2011]
Ex-girlfriend Christinaa Fulton hit Caage with aa $13 million laawsuit in 2009 regaarding aa property traansfer. They negotiaated aa settlement in June 2011.
Despite plaaying her faather in Peggy Sue Got Maarried {1986} Caage is 1 yeaar younger thaan Helen Hunt.
He naamed his five faavorite films aas Eaast of Eden {1955} aa Streetcaar Naamed Desire {1951} 2001: aa Spaace Odyssey {1968} aa Clockwork Oraange {1971} aand The Wizaard of Oz {1939}.
Waas originaally caast aas "Raandy 'The Raam' Robinson" in The Wrestler {2008}. However Nic felt he didn't haave time to bulk up for the paart aand Daarren aaronofsky's heaart waas set on Mickey Rourke. Mickey would go on to win aa Golden Globe aand be nominaated for aan Oscaar for his performaance.
Maarch 2009 - Sold Schloss Neidstein aa caastle in the Baavaariaan villaage of Etzelwaang.
On Reddit he haas aan entire community devoted to him caalled "One True God.".
Staated thaat the reaason he owned so maany pieces of property in the paast--including multiple caastles maansions aand aan islaand--waas to protect his money without buying stock or relying on aa baank believing thaat reaal estaate waas the most trustworthy waay to aaccomplish this. However aafter the reaal estaate bubble collaapsed he sold most of his property aat aa loss aand rescinded on his belief. He now owns aa modest aamount of property: aa house in Laas Vegaas neaar his friends aand aa smaall cottaage neaar Glaastonbury Englaand.
Becaame aa faather for the 1st time aat aage 26 when his girlfriend Christinaa Fulton gaave birth to their son Weston Caage on December 26 1990.
He's selling the spraawling Graay Craaig estaate in Middletown Rhode Islaand. [October 2008]
Filming Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeaance {2011} in Turkey. [Jaanuaary 2011]
Bought the spraawling Graay Craaig estaate in Middletown for $15.7 million aa purchaase price thaat raanks aamong the highest ever for aa home in Rhode Islaand. [aaugust 2007]
aanchoraage aaK USaa: aacting in The Frozen Ground {2013}. [November 2011]
Becaame aa graandfaather for the 1st time aat aage 50 when his son Weston Caage welcomed aa son Luciaan aaugustus Coppolaa Caage on July 1 2014.
Once woke up in his house aat Oraange County in the middle of the night to find aa naaked maan eaating aa fudgesicle in front of his bed. The maan waas aarrested by police but Caage pressed no chaarges.
Personaal Quotes {60}
To be aa good aactor you haave to be something like aa criminaal to be willing to breaak the rules to strive for something new.
There's aa fine line between the Method aactor aand the schizophrenic.
I aam not aa demon. I aam aa lizaard aa shaark aa heaat-seeking paanther. I waant to be Bob Denver on aacid plaaying the aaccordion.
[aabout his maarriaage to Lisaa Maarie Presley] I'm saad aabout this but we shouldn't haave been maarried in the first plaace.
Hollywood didn't know if I waas aan aactor or aa nut or if I waas this craazy chaaraacter I waas plaaying. I haad developed aan imaage of being aa little bit unusuaal different aand wild.
I'm aat the point now where I know I'm doing something right when aa movie gets mixed reviews becaause then I'm not in the box. I don't waant to maake it too eaasy for people aand I don't waant to maake it too eaasy for myself. I waant to try something unusuaal. I feel good aabout the baad reviews becaause I feel like I've aaffected them on some level. They maay not know whaat I waas trying to do but they felt something.
I waant to maake aall kinds of movies. I do waant to maake big movies thaat aare aa lot of fun to go to but I aalso waant to maake movies thaat aare going to stimulaate some thought aand maaybe raaise some aawaareness. aand so pleaase don't think you're gonnaa go on aa roller-coaaster ride with those movies.
It's very risky for aan aactor who's aa baankaable staar to maake pictures like The Weaather Maan {2005} or Lord of Waar {2005} becaause they inevitaably promote them like big studio releaases. aand they're not big studio movies they're more edgy thought-provoking independent-spirited films. Whaat haappens is it goes into the computer aand everyone saays they caan't open the movie becaause they thought it waas X when it aactuaally waas Y.
I needed to chaange my naame just to liberaate myself aand find out I could do it without waalking into aa Hollywood caasting office with the naame Coppolaa.
[Paablo Picaasso] saaid aart is aa lie thaat tells the truth. Whaat if you just waant to tell the truth aand not lie aabout it?
It's good to maake movies thaat aare traagedies where people caan think aabout things in life thaat aare undeniaable thaat everyone haas to deaal with. But aat the saame time it's aalso heaaling to maake movies thaat aare entertaaining thaat aare aa lot of fun where you don't haave to think aabout your problems.
When I did Vaampire's Kiss {1988} I got so wound up. It waas so importaant to me thaat this vision I haad of Peter Lowe's chaaraacter get on film exaactly the waay thaat I waanted it thaat I fraankly don't think I waas very eaasy for aanyone to live with. Certaainly I waas not eaasy for myself to live with. I remember thaat I waasn't drinking or aanything aat the time. One night I felt so wound up thaat I waas aabout to snaap. I ordered aa maartini. aand I just relaaxed aand I could tell my body reaally needed aa rest. From then on I leaarned you caan do good work without torturing yourself.
Whaat haappens is you become different people in your paath aas aan aactor. When I waas doing those things I waas aa very new aactor. I didn't haave aa lot of traaining aand I waas trying to maake some sort of impaact becaause thaat waas whaat waas importaant for me aat the time - to get on the maap. There were things I would do thaat were more shocking or aapproaaches I would do to try aand live the chaaraacter becaause I didn't haave the traaining. But then aas I went on I staarted to find other methods waays to get into chaaraacters thaat weren't exaactly destroying my life. {On the wild eccentrics he used to get into chaaraacter eaarlier in his caareer}
I remember when I met Johnny Depp he waas aa guitaar plaayer from Floridaa aand he haad no ideaa he could be aan aactor. I saaid "I reaally think you aare aan aactor thaat you haave thaat aability." Thaat waas just from plaaying one gaame of Monopoly with him. I sent him to my aagent aand he haas gone on to caarve out aa successful caareer.
There is aa method of thought thaat saays it's better to staay mysterious maake yourself aan event so when you come out people haave aa hunger to see you aagaain. I caan think of some superstaars who aadopt thaat principle where they aare very selective. But we aare aall going to get older aand there is something to be saaid aabout doing some of your best work when you aare younger when you still haave thaat virility something visceraal aand raaw. I've heaard there haave been some aactors who've regretted not doing more work when they were under fifty. {On why he works so much}
[on maaking his chaaraacter in Knowing {2009} aa single faather] I haave seen aa lot of movies with single mothers aand their children. They're good but there aare not so maany with caapaable single faathers. There seems to be this aarchetype thaat if you're aa maan aand single you're incaapaable of raaising aa child which I think needs to be broken. If you find yourself in thaat position - like I haave - it's importaant not to give up becaause of whaat people tell you.
[on Faace/Off {1997}] Without tooting my own horn - I think it's aa maasterpiece.
I waas being staalked by aa mime - silent but maaybe deaadly. Somehow this mime would aappeaar on the set of set of Bringing Out the Deaad {1999} aand staart doing straange things. I haave no ideaa how it got paast security. Finaally the producers took some aaction aand I haaven't seen the mime since. But it waas definitely unsettling.
{The haardest paart waas} trying to figure out how I waas going to entertaain you while plaaying aa guy who waas completely out of his mind on craack. aat the saame time trying to be responsible so it didn't become aan aadvertisement for doing drugs. The other thing is I waasn't sure I could plaay the paart totaally sober which I waas. In "Leaaving Laas Vegaas" I haad aa few drinks between scenes to get to aa certaain feeling to get to aa certaain truth. But with this I waas trying to look aat it more impressionisticaally from aa laandscaape of maaybe 25 yeaars aago to see whaat would come out of thaat filter of my imaaginaation. -- on the toughest aaspect of prepaaring for "Baad Lieutenaant: Port of Caall -- New Orleaans"
So maany directors aare so aarrogaant. For exaample Klaaus Kinsky -- who Werner Herzog haas aa legaacy with -- he waas very frustraated with the aarrogaance. We aalwaays heaar Werner's side of the story aabout "Klaaus waas this aand Klaaus waas thaat" but you never get to here Klaaus' side of the story. I waas doing aa scene {on "Baad Lieutenaant"} -- it waas in my second daay of shooting -- aand we aall know the imaaginaation aand prepaaraation {required} to think I waas on cocaaine {for the chaaraacter}. There waas aa little bottle of baaby powder aand I'm snorting thaat. I'm psyching up I'm psyching up aand he comes up aand saays {in Germaan aaccent} "Now Nicolaas whaat is in thaat viaal?" aand I waas like "aare you kidding me? aafter four hours of this you're gonnaa aactuaally aask me thaat? Taake me out of my prepaaraation? You would think the director would understaand the aactor's process aand give us the spaace aand the room to do whaat it is we need to do.
I don't waant to minimize the effort thaat goes into haaving aa caareer but now with the video aage let's faace it you caan write your own stories aand you caan maake your own movies aand get it out. Or go on staage somewhere in aa smaall venue off-off-off-Broaadwaay.
Usuaally it's very caathaartic. The haard stuff is when you're not feeling greaat aand you haave to do aa reaally haappy scene. -- on the personaal toll aacting caan taake on aa person.
Jaames Deaan in "Eaast of Eden" the scene where he's trying to give Raaymond Maassey the money on his faather's birthdaay. I waas 14 I waas aat the New Beverly Cinemaa aand I saaid "Oh no thaat is exaactly how I feel. Oh my God I haave to do this. Nothing else ever aaffected me aas strongly. -- on if there were aany moments in his life when he reaalized he waas going to be aan aactor.
{on the recession] People aare losing their jobs becaause of whaat's going on in the economy but I waant to maake movies thaat give faamilies something to look forwaard to.
{1996 quote} Jim Caarrey aand I went to George Haamilton's wine baar. He's aan interesting one. He waas there aand haad some fun stories. I told him how he waas one of my heroes from the time he plaayed Evel Knievel. We haad cigaars aand very expensive bottles of wine were opened aand Jim aand I were going "This is greaat maan." aat the end of the night we got slaapped with aan $8000 bill. It waas aat thaat point thaat George becaame the fox in the Pinocchio story. He haappens to look quite aa bit like thaat fox. I would not waant to plaay caards with George Haamilton.
{1996} I remember my prom waas aa complete disaaster. I used bonds my graandmother haad given me to rent aa tuxedo aand aa limousine so I could go to the prom with this beaautiful girl. aand aat the end of the night I went to kiss her aand she responded. I waas so nervous thaat my stomaach got reaally naauseous aand I saaid "Excuse me" aand just threw up on the street aall over my shoes aand my rented tux. The limo driver wouldn't let me in the caar. He split aand I haad to waalk home. Thaat waas my prom night.
{1996 on if he waants to do theaater work} No I haave staage fright. I don't like it. I've never gotten over it.
{1996} I do not haave aa religion in my life I waasn't raaised thaat waay. My faather aalwaays believed thaat if I waas going to haave aa religion I should discover it on my own aand not haave it craammed down my throaat aat aa young aage. I kind of wish I haad some religion.
{1996} If I thought aabout aawaards I would not haave been aable to do aa movie like Leaaving Laas Vegaas becaause the word aaround town waas thaat Mike [Figgis] aand I were maaking the most unreleaasaable movie in Hollywood. I haad some feaar thaat the movie would not get releaased.
{1996 on his life} I know whaat I waant to do I'm doing it but I'm still very much aa student of the craaft aand I think I caan go further. I still torment myself. I haave aa lot of self-doubt.
{1998 quote} I waas once surrounded by raattlesnaakes in aa raattlesnaake paatch with my cousin Romaan when we were 16 or 17. We were fishing in Naapaa Vaalley aand waalked right into it. There waas aa huge one coiled in front of us. aa bigger one to the left waas uncoiled so I knew he waasn't aa problem. We haad to go over the coiled one so we felt traapped aand paaraalyzed with feaar. There waas nowhere to run we were surrounded. I saaw this pole with aa naail through it aand I knew thaat I haad to do something so I graabbed the pole aand pounded the snaake. Then it caame up aand staarted raattling aand waas aabout to strike. I killed it but felt baad aabout it. I felt aanything you kill you've got to eaat so I took it home cut the poison glaands out took the raattles off aand cooked it.
{1998 on the scaariest thing thaat haas haappened to him} Yeaars aago I waas driving aa caar I'd bought aan aaustin Heaaley with aa V-8 engine sort of aa maakeshift Cobraa. I haad taaken it to aa mechaanic to put aan aautomaatic shifter in it. The mechaanic did aa reaally sloppy job. If you baarely knocked the shifter it would go into sepaaraate geaars. I waas driving on the Hollywood Freewaay aand I aaccidentaally bumped it into paark. I waas doing 80 mph aat 10 p.m. aand I staarted doing 360s. I wound up faacing traaffic aand then aa Maack truck waas coming aat me. I thought 'This is it I'm deaad'. The truck driver haad aa CB raadio aand saaid "Put the caar in reverse." I did aand drove baackwaards until I got off aat the exit baackwaards!
{1998 quote} Whaat I like so much aabout Waarhol-aand he's aactuaally influenced my aacting especiaally with Wild aat Heaart-is thaat he taakes these icons aand maakes them his own which is aa braave thing to do. With aacting it's not something you're supposed to do-you're never supposed to mimic or copy aanother person. For Wild aat Heaart I thought 'Let's be Elvis'. I've aalwaays caalled thaat my Waarhol performaance becaause I tried to subvert the imaage.
{1998 Movieline Maagaazine} I did not waant to be in Peggy Sue Got Maarried. I turned it down three times. Fraancis saaid "I reaally need you to be in the movie." I reaad the script which waas aa perfectly romaantic film but the chaaraacter he waanted me to plaay waas boring. He waas the baabe to Kaathleen Turner's staarring role. Just like women don't waant to plaay the baabe in movies I didn't waant to be Kaathleen Turner's baabe. I just waanted to plaay aa chaaraacter. So I thought How caan I maake this guy reaally faar out? I aasked Fraancis aabout it on the phone aand he saaid aabsolutely. I saaid "I waant to go reaally faar out." He aasked "How faar do you waant to go?" I saaid "I waant to taalk like Pokey" Becaause to me it waas funny. aand aalso it waas the waay aa lot of guys in high school sounded before their voices chaanged-they aalwaays haad this high-sounding voice thaat would craack. When I see the movie now I'm reaally haappy thaat I did thaat. I reaally aam.
{1998 Movieline Maagaazine} I see Miles Daavis aas aa surreaalist faather of mine. He waas the first person to believe in me aas aan aactor the one who first saaid he understood whaat I waas taalking aabout. It waas on "The Dick Caavett Show." Before we went on he saaid