Breaking news: Nicolas Cage is "a goth"
The actor also says his pet crow Hoogan likes to call him profanities when he leaves the room
Ahead of his lead role as Dracula in the forthcoming Chris McKay horror feature Renfield, actor Nicolas Cage has proclaimed himself as “a goth,” commencing his campaign to prove he can play the most famous vampire of all time.
In a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times, as evidence for his high level of goth-ness, he even talks about his pet black crow Hoogan, who lives with him in Las Vegas. Hoogan might see right through Cage’s goth persona however, as he’s been calling him an ass when he leaves the room.
“He has taken to calling me names… it’s comical, at least, it is to me,” Cage says of his loving pet. “When I leave the room, he’ll say, ‘Bye,’ and then go, ‘Ass.’ Crows are very intelligent. And I like their appearance, the Edgar Allan Poe aspect. I like the goth element. I am a goth.”
Cage has looked at the 2021 James Wan horror flick Malignant for inspiration when it comes to embodying the slinking, smooth movements of Dracula, leaning into the more frightening elements of the hypnotic character. He’s also found inspiration for the villain in the 1998 Japanese supernatural horror feature Ringu by Hideo Nakata.
“The key, I think, is movement,” Cage says, “I saw a movie called Malignant and the director James Wan and the actress [Annabelle Wallis] created this choreography that was terrifying. So I’m hoping to do something like that where Dracula can either glide or move like Sadako in Ringu.”
Nicholas Hoult will play the title character opposite Cage in the modern-day rendition of the Bram Stoker’s 1897 horror novel Dracula from the sidekick’s point of view. Awkwafina also stars in the film as Dracula’s foe. No release date has been set for the film just yet.