The Wicker Man: Nicolas Cage Q&A

23-08-2006 10:47

Nicolas Cage knows all about remakes. Following crime thriller Kiss of Death and heist movie Gone in Sixty Seconds, he has even dared to touch the untouchable, turning Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire into 1998’s City of Angels. So it’s no surprise that he should take on 1973 British cult classic The Wicker Man. With this new version adapted and directed by Neil LaBute (Nurse Betty, Possession), Cage plays a sheriff named Edward Malus, who is sent to a remote island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. Discovering an enclosed community (led by Ellen Burstyn) where the interference of strangers is not welcomed, Malus’ journey is not for the feint-hearted.

For the 42 year-old Cage, who won an Oscar for his searing portrayal of an alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas, approaching dark material is nothing new. He may be best known for his action heroes, in films like The Rock and Con Air, but it’s in films like Lord of War (where he played an arms dealer) and Bringing out the Dead (a paranoid ambulance driver) where he made his mark. Nominated for an Oscar for playing a neurotic, masturbation-obsessed screenwriter and his brother in Adaptation, Cage is evidently unafraid by any role – which may be why he accepted the lead in his other new film this autumn, Oliver Stone’s hymn to 9/11, World Trade Center. Like The Wicker Man, it stands the chance of being criticised – but it seems that Cage wouldn’t have it any other way.

Q: How did this new version of The Wicker Man start?

A: The whole thing generated because my friend, Johnny Ramone, who was a fan of horror films, had shown it to me. He had a list of movies he wanted me to see that I wasn’t aware of. I mean, I knew about The Wicker Man because I recalled images of the poster as a boy, but for some reason the movie never got a proper release in the States. And then he mentioned the title, and I said, ‘That sounds interesting.’ I came over to his house and we watched it together and the movie left me with the most profound feeling, unlike any other film, really, in the way it ended – which I don’t really want to give away. It made me think a lot about it. I was disturbed for about two weeks.

Q: How did you get to know Johnny Ramone?

A: We both had an interest in posters. I met him though that way. He liked monster posters and I did as well. He came over to my house one day at a party and we got talking. He had a big collection. He had all that stuff. I didn’t. I had one or two. So we got talking about that and then I found out how passionate he was about movies, and then we became friends on that basis.

Q: What made you think the original film was ripe for remaking?

A: I thought a lot about the movie, and whether there would be any way to recreate another contemporary version of the story that might reintroduce the title to people, people who don’t even really know about the original. Most people here in the States don’t even know anything about The Wicker Man. So I thought it was an interesting way to bring something that was excellent back to people’s attention. And the new version is a different track altogether. There’s no way you really want to do something completely the same – you can’t. There’s no point in that.

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