I never liked him, not as an actor. I didn't pay attention
to his early career, when he was coming up or the roles he played; I was too
young to have watched most of his eighties flicks when he was starting out. He oscillated
between playing low energy monotone sad sacks and adrenaline juiced macho men.
Neither role suited him His intensity was forced; his stare obnoxious. His
emotion uneven; he didn’t so much cry as weep, painfully! His on screen presence
was grating and cartoonish to anyone unfortunate enough to have purchased one
of his films in the discount bin. The list of forgettable movies that stared
the California native Kiss of Death, Trapped in Paradise and Deadfall were a starting point, nothing
more. Like a baby bird pushed out of the nest too soon, he became an actor
years before he was ready. Some said having a famous movie director uncle is
what gave his film career a nudge. It wouldn't be the first time, Hollywood or Middle
America, where nepotism was the secret ingredient in the success of an
otherwise average joe. Nepotism is only a spark though. Talent is required at
some point even if many people fake it for a while. Nicolas Cage got better
with time and some of that acquired talent was in the selectivity of the films.
The first time I noticed the talent, the likability and
even the range was opposite Meryl Streep in arty film called Adaptation. Cage played two roles in the
movie, brothers who are both writers but completely different in temperament
and style. If this sounds like a recipe for a disaster script full of plot
holes and excuses for Cage to overact both parts, it really wasn't. He played
it straight which was a nice change from a man known for his outbursts and fits
of emotion on screen. He managed the transition between the characters
flawlessly and while dispensing with some of the ticks (sarcastic laughter,
twitchy movements) he had become famous for. Having two veteran actors on set,
Streep and Chris Cooper, may have elevated the tone of the set. Nicolas Cage
was nominated for an Academy Award for his role, ...er roles.
He had success before and after Adaptation, but I noticed it
more in that one. He seemed to find his groove with the National Treasure films that featured an optimistic history buff uncovering
secrets of America’s ‘founding fathers’. Although not a stretch artistically,
the character felt like how a Disney version of Indiana Jones might look. Cage
played it like a pro. In the Weatherman
he was a Chicago meteorologist with a marriage breaking apart and no outlet for
his frustration with everyday life. The movie wasn’t great but Cage allowed the
story to develop around the character instead of pushing the acting in a
singular direction. He really grew up in this film and refined the notion of
what angry and determined look like on the face of a Nicolas Cage character. He
was even better in the Netflix special Joe.
Joe is a dark but simple portrayal of
a rural Texas man struggling to be put his prison years behind him and find
redemption. He shows in this role more than he tells about the reckless, but
honest, nature of a criminal trying to stay on the straight and narrow. Much of
this film involves Nicolas Cage doing a very un-Cage thing, holding back the
viciousness and hostility until the script begs for it. Most people won’t see
this movie but released in 2013, it remains one of his best.
The lesson from Nicholas Cage and his catalog of films shows
us that it isn’t how you start it’s how you finish. His lousy 90’s reels gave
way to fuller scripts in the 2000s and the awkward moments overlaid with real
talent. An actor should keep working no matter what; how are other careers any
different? Whether you are a writer, musician, athlete, home builder, accountant
or preacher, the process is the same—keep working. The best part is you get
better. Look back every now and then from where you came and notice the
substantive difference in the quality of the work. The rough edges aren’t there
and a kind of comfortability with who you are sets in. Ugly proceeds beautiful
and a star is born. So embrace the ugly and love the awkward, Nicolas Cage is
living proof it gets better.
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