Yes, we’re definitely in the middle of awards season and folks are beginning to forecast the upcoming Oscar nominations. But I can assure you of one thing — “Willy’s Wonderland” likely won’t be nominated for Best Film. And filmmaker Kevin Lewis is definitely okay with that. In a new interview with The Playlist Podcast, the director of the Nicolas Cage horror-comedy, “Willy’s Wonderland” talks about his love of genre films, the mystique that surrounds Cage, and his recent near-death experience battling COVID.
“Willy’s Wonderland,” as the title suggests, tells the story of a rundown Chuck E. Cheese-style kids restaurant that is overrun by possessed, killer animatronic mascots that are on the hunt of The Janitor, played by a completely silent Cage. The premise is crazy but the finished film might be even more batshit than you’re thinking. But it’s the heart that pours through every frame of the film, combined with a really fun Cage performance, that makes “Willy’s Wonderland” rise about the typical horror-comedy schlock.
“This is what I call a tight-rope film,” said Lewis about his insane film. “It could have gone either way. It could have gone real cheeseball and just terrible.”
The film may be called “Willy’s Wonderland,” but this is truly a Nic Cage vehicle, as the actor chews scenery without saying a single word. And according to his filmmaker, the actor was channeling some silent hero favorites from the past.
“Nic really channeled Charles Bronson in ‘Once Upon a Time in the West,’ that’s one of his favorite movies,” he said. “We talked a lot about that and ‘Valhalla Rising’ with Mads [Mikkelsen].”
“It’s interesting because I was telling him, ‘Nic, I can only do two or three takes and I have to move on,’” continued the filmmaker. “Of course, he knows that, we’re doing a movie in 20 days. And he’s like, ‘Well, Kevin, I like to get it in one…He gives you one, and it’s kinda the script. Then you get two, three, four, and five, and you get Nic Cage. I could have been there all day shooting stuff, and it would have gotten Cage-ier and Cage-ier. And the movie would have been cooler and cooler. The problem is that I would have only had a short film.”
One thing is evident during our interview with Lewis, the filmmaker is a fanboy (and he readily admits it). And he gives a laundry list of filmmakers that he is regularly inspired by to make his fun features, such as ‘Willy’s.’
“[Nicholas Winding] Refn, Darren Aronofsky, Danny Boyle, and Sam Raimi — they’re the juice that keeps me wanting to make films,” Lewis said. “They just inspire me so much.”
But as Lewis definitely is aware of, “Willy’s Wonderland” is no “Black Swan.” This is a bonkers film that pushes the limits and is carried on the shoulders of Nic Cage, being as Cage-y as you would hope for.
“We’d do a Dutch angle and it’s like, ‘Is this too much?’” he said. “And I’d say, ‘Man, it’s Nic Cage versus an animatronic weasel, nothing’s too much.’”
As mentioned above, Lewis also talked about his bout with COVID, which found him in the ICU just days before “Willy’s Wonderland” was set to be released.
“This thing kicked my ass big time,” Lewis said about his battle with COVID. “There were moments where I didn’t know if I was going to make it.”
He added, “If someone asks if they can pray for you…you know you’re in trouble…When I did make it, and the doctor told me, ‘You won the Super Bowl,’ I felt guilty.”
You can hear our full interview with Lewis below. And make sure you check out “Willy’s Wonderland” on Digital and VOD now.
As always, The Playlist Podcast is part of The Playlist Podcast Network—which includes Be Reel, The Discourse, The Fourth Wall, and more—and can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and now on Spotify. You can stream the podcast via the AnchorFM embed below or up top to listen on this page. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe, and drop us a comment or a rating, as we do appreciate it. Thank you for listening.