Nicolas Cage Swears He Never Went Full Method As Dracula In Renfield Despite The Stories
Nicolas Cage's next role is already among his most iconic, as he steps into the cape of Dracula for the upcoming horror comedy "Renfield," directed by Chris McKay. The film sees Dracula's longtime servant Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) trying to break free from his ill-tempered boss after falling in love with traffic cop Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina) in modern-day New Orleans.
As if fans of Cage weren't already excited to see him take on the iconic vampire role, McKay added even more intrigue to the performance when he told Insider earlier this month that Cage relied on method acting. McKay told the outlet, "Whatever scene we did he would still be 100% living in that attitude after we stopped shooting. So if he's a little frosty in the scene he's going to have a little bit of that between takes." The director also noted that the strict head-to-toe costuming certainly played a part in committing to the character in between takes, adding, "Sometimes he couldn't even bend his body very much because he's got a whole body appliance on. So he's Dracula whether he wants to be Dracula or not."
However, if you ask the actor himself, no such method acting occurred on the "Renfield" set. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at the New York premiere of the film, Cage insisted he was himself in between takes.
Cage says he had plenty of laughs in between takes
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Nicolas Cage set the record straight as to whether or not he utilizes method acting — according to the actor, there was no method acting during "Renfield" despite what director Chris McKay told Insider.
Cage said, "I just don't have that recollection, I don't know why Chris said that." Just like McKay, Cage pointed out that it may have been the fault of the intense costuming. The actor continued, "I had a lot of laughs in between takes with both Chris McKay and Nick Hoult so maybe that was his experience, maybe because I still had the fangs in my mouth that made me speak a certain way, but that wasn't my experience."
Regardless of whether or not method acting was used, McKay knew that Cage would be perfect for the role of Dracula in this new take on the story. McKay told THR that because the script called for a rock 'n' roll Dracula, he knew Cage could embody the role. He said, "[Cage] can wear rings, he can wear the outfits, he looks amazing, and he's got the right attitude." When he saw Cage in costume for the first time, it almost brought him to tears. McKay said, "It was like okay, this movie is going to work."