How Coppola Became Cage

June 26, 2023
Journalist Schonfeld (24-Carat Black’s Ghetto) digs into Nicolas Cage’s early roles, rise to fame, and attempts to “test the limits... of that stardom” in this entertaining deep dive into the actor’s career from 1981 to 1995. Drawing on more than 125 interviews with those involved in Cage’s early movies, Schonfeld examines the actors roles in The Best of Times (1981), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), and Valley Girl (1983), an early period during which Cage both benefited from and resisted the recognition that came from being Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew. Schonfeld covers stories of Cage’s “method acting,” including the infamous cockroach eating stunt in the 1989 cult classic Vampire’s Kiss and the rumor he had two teeth pulled for his role in the 1984 drama Birdy (he did, but they were baby teeth that needed to be removed). Later, Cage sought out roles in such indie movies as Red Rock West (1993) to “pursue his wildest ideas,” though his freewheeling spending tendencies meant that artistic and business decisions were often pitted against one another. While the account suffers from its lack of recent input from Cage, it’s a lively, anecdote-filled look into the actor’s shape-shifting, storied career. Even the most ardent Cage fans will learn something new.