Oscar-winning actor says he avoids being limited to one type of character as he prepares for Spider-Noir release
Nicolas Cage says he has always tried to avoid being limited to one type of character throughout his Hollywood career, explaining that he enjoys playing both heroes and villains.
Speaking to People magazine at the premiere of Spider-Noir in New York, the Oscar-winning actor reflected on the variety of roles he has taken over the years.
“I’ve played plenty of villains,” Cage said when asked whether he prefers heroic or villainous characters.
“I like both. I think they’re both important parts of cinema. I would not want to get trapped into doing one thing.”
The 62-year-old actor also revealed that he once discussed playing the Green Goblin with director Sam Raimi during the development of the early 2000s Spider-Man movies.
However, Cage decided instead to star in Adaptation, a performance that later earned him an Academy Award nomination.
“I decided to do another movie, a much smaller noir of sorts, more romantic than tragic noir,” Cage explained.
He added that he advised Raimi to ensure Spider-Man embraced “arachnid body language” in at least one memorable scene.
The Green Goblin role eventually went to Willem Dafoe, while Tobey Maguire starred as Spider-Man.
Cage later won an Academy Awards Oscar for his performance in Leaving Las Vegas.
Over the years, Cage has portrayed a wide range of darker characters in projects including Ghost Rider, Longlegs and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
In Spider-Noir, Cage plays Ben Reilly, a private investigator in 1930s New York who possesses spider-like abilities.
The actor said he wanted the character to combine classic Hollywood influences with comic-book storytelling.
“I wanted to blend some of my favorite old-style actors — James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson — and collide them with Stan Lee’s masterpiece, Spider-Man, and create something new,” he said.
In a separate interview, Cage described the character as “70 percent Bogart and 30 percent Bugs Bunny.”
Spider-Noir is scheduled to premiere on MGM+ on May 25 before streaming on Amazon Prime Video on May 27.
