Nic on Nic, consuming bugs, character inspirations, guardian angels and interior monsters (Image: Getty)
Renfield is a wildly unique new comedy-horror, starring Nicolas Cage as historical past’s most narcissistic boss, Depend Dracula, and Nicholas Hoult as his tortured servant. How do the 2 Nics get on in actual life? Metro bought unique ‘Nic on Nic’ entry to seek out out…
Hello, Nic and Nic. Erm, that is complicated!
Nic Cage: That occurred at the start on set, the place individuals would say ‘Nic’ and we’d each look spherical. Then it type of transmogrified into ‘Cage’ and ‘Hoult’. Mmm, I like that phrase – ‘trrrrransmogrified’. Scrumptious! I’m sorry, I like phrases. I like placing phrases collectively.
What phrase first pops into your head when taking a look at Nic?
Nic Cage: For Hoult, ‘attraction’, ‘expertise’, ‘wit’, ‘type’, ‘sociable’.
Nic Hoult: Once I consider Mr Cage? ‘Inspiring’ is the primary phrase that pops to thoughts.
Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult ‘transmogrified’ on the set of Renfield (Image: Common Footage through AP)
Is it true that Mr Cage stayed in character as Dracula?
Nic Cage: I didn’t keep in character, did I?
Nic Hoult: I can’t imagine you stayed in character all through. That might be weird.
Nic Cage: I’ve typically finished that, early on, in numerous motion pictures. However not this.
Although you probably did eat a stay cockroach on Vampire’s Kiss, Mr Cage. Have been the bugs you eat in Renfield all CGI fakes?
Nic Hoult: No, they had been actual bugs. The props division constructed some that had been scrumptious and manufactured from caramel for the cockroaches. However the crickets had been actual – they had been dried out and flavoured, in order that they had been fairly tasty, truly.
Nicholas Hoult would select to be a vampire if he was dealing with prompt loss of life (Image: Common Footage through AP)
Do you each nonetheless eat bugs now?
Nic Cage: I imply, yeah. We talked about it.
Nic Hoult: If we might recover from the sort of grossed-out nature of it, it will most likely be good for us as a civilisation.
Nic Cage: Excessive protein, low fats, excessive vitamins and a unending supply. Why not? Simply get previous the phobia and dig in. We’re promoting this as a brand new product: ‘Nic Squared’, like Paul Newman’s salad dressing. Maybe we might resolve world starvation.
You’ve labored collectively earlier than, enjoying a father and son in 2005’s The Climate Man…
Nic Cage: Yeah, having labored with Nic when he was 14, I used to be totally conscious of his poise and confidence as a movie actor. So I used to be wanting ahead to getting on set with him once more.
Nic Hoult: Again then I might perceive that it was a giant occasion coming to work within the States for the primary time, and I knew a few of Nic’s work. However as a child I used to be too younger at that time to have seen a number of it. So I used to be extra appreciative – and extra apprehensive – about working with Nic this time spherical. Not as a result of [looking at Cage] I knew you had been very type and giving as an actor, however as a result of I used to be extra in awe of every thing that he’d achieved.
Renfield is the second film Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult have starred in collectively (Image: Getty)
Renfield is about tackling your interior monsters. What have you ever confronted as much as?
Nic Hoult: Oof. The query is whether or not I actually wish to go on document with that in public.
Nic Cage: Ever since I used to be a small youngster I used to be all the time plagued with nightmares and scary goals. I contemplate them items now. I take a look at them as pals giving me little concepts for motion pictures. Possibly that’s why I’m on this film.
Nic Hoult: Definitely, for the Renfield character, he has to confront his personal regrets and regret and switch that into self-belief earlier than he can face Dracula and redeem himself.
Mr Cage, I’ve heard you say a guardian angel guides your profession…
Nic Cage: It all the time appears like romantic gobbledygook, however sure. My angel is extra like a muse. I’ve all the time felt that if it weren’t for appearing, I might have gone within the improper path. So quite than taking all that power and creativeness and doing one thing harmful with it, I discovered a option to do one thing productive and constructive with it. So in that sense, being a movie actor was a bit like a guardian angel.
Dracula and Renfield are iconic display characters. What influences did you draw on?
Nic Cage: Bela Lugosi, Nosferatu. Christopher Lee was a giant affect, too. With him it was largely the looks. I favored his 60s presentation: the hairdo slicked again, the clothes. There have been deeper influences corresponding to my father, August Coppola – his mid-Atlantic accent, his aura and his method of carrying himself. Even Anne Bancroft, in The Graduate as Mrs. Robinson –I believed she had a Dracula-esque fashion to her efficiency. However actually, the first supply of inspiration is simply the creativeness – and that’s what I hope makes it its personal separate factor.
Nic Hoult: There could also be barely fewer on-screen Renfields, however there have been some incredible performances. Dwight Frye being probably the most iconic, and my most cherished. His snicker, which is so distinct – I attempted to pepper that into my Renfield. However the writing and the tone and really feel of this film may be very totally different from what it will be if I used to be enjoying this character within the typical Bram Stoker version of this story.
Nicholas Cage says Christopher Lee was a giant affect on his portrayal of Dracula in Renfield (Image: Getty)
Loads of prosthetics on this movie. How do you address hours in make-up?
Nic Cage: The ‘Picasso’ look, which was essentially the most disfigured, took about eight hours and I discovered it fairly tranquil. I did go to sleep a couple of instances and so they needed to wake me up, like ‘Nic! Nic!’ And I might barely hear them as a result of my ears had been coated by latex and no matter.
Nic Hoult: Once I’ve needed to put on make-up for a very long time [such as on the X-Men movies] at first it’s enjoyable, transformative. There are occasions when, significantly if it’s a scorching set, the warmth is an actual wrestle and it may be a bit claustrophobic. However there’s one thing fairly soothing about having to maintain nonetheless and folks gently tapping you with glue or no matter.
Nic Cage: It’s like a really totally different mild shiatsu therapeutic massage, such as you may need in a Kolkata sauna.
Nicolas Cage (left) spent eight ‘tranquil’ hours within the make-up chair to turn out to be Dracula (Image: Common Footage through AP)
Do you’ve got time for hobbies?
Nic Hoult: I imply, I’ve bought household. So I’ve to dedicate most of my time exterior work to them. However I’ve a number of hobbies exterior that: motor automotive racing, boxing, studying, knitting. I do a number of random issues – gardening and cooking, too.
Nic Cage: Have you ever tried his baking?! Wow!
Nic Hoult: If you wish to be good at appearing, you’ve bought to have basic pursuits in life.
If you happen to had been dealing with prompt loss of life, would you select to turn out to be a vampire?
Nic Cage: Oh, no, I don’t suppose so. All of us are going to die and who needs to overlook out on that, proper? There could be one thing magnificent that occurs. Plus the eternal-life factor solely works if everybody round you who you like has everlasting life. In the event that they don’t have it and you’ve got it, that might stink.
Nic Hoult: So, you’re not going vampire?
Nic Cage: I’m not going vampire, no.
Nic Hoult: Hell, I’ll go for it then. I’ll give it a attempt. Simply to see – simply to attempt, you realize? After which if I remorse it, I remorse it.
Nic Cage: However it is best to by no means do the undoable!
Nic Hoult: But when I find yourself going, ‘Oh, I’m by myself, I’m lonely’, can’t I simply make another person a vampire? Like with zombies. Or is there a really totally different lore when it comes to how different vampires are created? May I not create different vampires I’d like to hang around with?
Nic Cage: Positive. However what if what’s taking place there may be higher than what’s taking place right here? And also you’re lacking out.
Nic Hoult: Properly, that’s true.
Nic Cage: I assume you’ve simply bought to attempt to keep alive.
Renfield is out in cinemas from as we speak
Originally posted 2023-04-14 10:28:51.