Nicolas Cage Interview

The star of Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance talks stunts, fossils and favourite films

By Richard Luck, 1 Feburary 2012

What can be said about Nicolas Cage that's never been said before, other than that he's a very calm person who has never done an eccentric thing in his life?

Of course, the real Nicolas Kim Copolla (he's Francis's nephew) has done all manner of weird things during his 30+ years in film, from eating real cockroaches in Vampire's Kiss to having teeth removed for Alan Parker's Birdy. But while he's never been afraid of being strange, the man who's been married to both Patricia Arquette and Lisa Marie Presley has also found the time to make plenty of good films, from Rumble Fish and Peggy Sue Got Married (both of which were directed by his celebrated relative) to Wild At Heart, Red Rock West and Leaving Las Vegas, the last of which won him a Best Actor Oscar.

And now Cage, who took his stage name from one comic-book character, is back playing another - Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider. Since he sports a tattoo of the Marvel anti-hero, you might imagine he was delighted to return to the part. But as he told Blokely, it took directors Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine to convince him to pull on the leathers one more time...