Nicolas Cage Mutilated His Body In War Thriller Role
Nicolas Cage has always been an actor who’s dedicated to his craft, but he really took it to the next level when he was filming the war thriller Birdy. An early role for Cage, Birdy was about a soldier who returns scarred by the Vietnam War and his fellow Vietnam veteran who tries to get through to him after Birdy is committed to a mental hospital. Cage played the friend, and he actually pulled out some of his baby teeth to go through the physical pain that his character might have gone through.
Nicolas Cage Pulled Out His Own Teeth
Nicolas Cage revealed the teeth story during an interview with Vanity Fair, where he looked back on some of his roles throughout his career. When the film Moonstruck popped up, Cage could be seen with a missing tooth. Cage explained why he didn’t have a tooth in that film with the story of how he yanked out his baby teeth for Birdy, and they were still growing back.
Nicolas Cage Tortured Himself Filming Birdy
Nicolas Cage really went all out for Birdy, as his character also has a bandaged face after returning from war due to a bomb incident. Cage also wore the bandages for five weeks in real life to mimic some of the feelings Vietnam vets went through when society was looking down on them after returning from war. While many people might chalk this up as a young actor going above and beyond to prove himself, Cage has continued to go the extra mile throughout his career.
Not The Last Time
Nicolas Cage has also put himself through mental and physical hell for plenty of other roles, such as the time when he ate cockroaches to get into character for his film Vampire’s Kiss. Cage also got drunk for a scene in Leaving Las Vegas, where he played an alcoholic. In other words, Cage is someone who clearly is willing to be uncomfortable if it helps put him in the mindset of the character he’s playing.
The Nicolas Cage Renaissance Is Upon Us
Nicolas Cage has really had a chance to flex his acting muscles lately, as he’s been on a tear starring in a wide variety of films over the past few years. It’s been a bit of a late-career Renaissance for Cage, with him getting wide critical praise for many of these performances. In 2023, he got acclaim for his role in the off-kilter Dream Scenario, where he plays a man everyone starts seeing in their dreams.
Longlegs Is Coming Out This Year
Nicolas Cage also doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, with his next film scheduled for a summer release. The film is a horror thriller titled Longlegs, which follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) as she is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that involves the occult. Cage plays the serial killer in the film, so that will be one to watch out for.
You can look forward to seeing Nicolas Cage in Longlegs on July 12, 2024. Meanwhile, you can check out Cage in Birdy if you want to see if his teeth-pulling efforts were worth it. The film is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Vanity Fair
