"Season of the Witch" Brings Nic Cage Role He Was Born For
You could say actor Nicolas Cage has been training since childhood for his latest role in "Season of the Witch" - a knight in the time of the Black Plague.
We caught up with Cage, who has famously owned several castles, during the New York premiere of the film and asked how he was able to get into the mindset of a knight.
PICTURES: Nicolas Cage
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"I've been playing a knight ever since I was a child in the backyard," said the actor, who turns 47 today.. "My father built me this little wooden castle. And I would go in there and use my imagination to be a knight, And so, I don't know why it took this long to put on film, but I think that's where I did most of my homework for the part."
He also may have drawn inspiration from the 11th Century Bavarian castle and the Mitford Castle (built in 1775) in Bath, England , that he once owned.
And, of course, the Oscar winner leaves a lot to his imagination: "Since none of us have, at least in this life, have really been there, I felt that I had the free reign of using my imagination...I knew that if I could get the sword-work down and also learn how to really ride a horse...I could find myself in the part."
Cage has been in show business for more than three decade, and his experience helped influence his co-stars on-set. At the premiere for "Season of the Witch," fellow actor Ron Perlman (of "Hellboy" and TV's "Beauty and the Beast" fame) said, "[Cage] has unending enthusiasm, he really loves to act, and he loves to make movies. First guy on the set, last guy to leave. Phenomenal inspiration to the cast."Young British actress Claire Foy, who portrays the eponymous "witch" in question, also revealed how inspired she was by Cage during filming, "When you grow up with Nicolas Cage---you kind of think of him as a movie star, but he's an actor as well. He's a real actor. He keeps himself interested. He always keeps the energy up. He's always doing things to keep interested in the job that he's been doing for 30 years. I really admire him. I think he's an amazing, amazing, amazing man."
And while Cage might not want to search for the latest reviews on "Season of the Witch" (which most critics have panned), the actor says he will continue searching for roles that require him to stretch .
"I like to keep it eclectic," he said. "I like to do the adventure and action movies, and also comedies and dramas...independent art films. Whatever I can do that keeps me excited. Because it's been a long time now [since he's been professionally acting] and I have to find parts and scripts that give me something to learn from."
"Season of the Witch" opens today in theaters nationwide.
