Without a doubt, the most buzzed about part of “Longlegs” is the performance by Nicolas Cage. Hidden from most of the marketing, Cage plays a serial killer in the film, under a heavy bit of makeup making him unrecognizable. That said, he’s truly terrifying and one of the best parts of the film. He’s so good that people will probably want to see Cage take on another serial killer role in the future. Unfortunately, the actor is just not interested in that career path.
Speaking in a New Yorker interview, Nicolas Cage was talking about his role in “Longlegs” and how he would like to distance himself from serial killer roles in the future. Why would he not want to take on another role like “Longlegs?” Well, he isn’t a fan of violence. It’s that simple.
“I know that the phone’s going to be ringing off the hook to play serial killers after ‘Longlegs,’” said Cage. “And that’s not really what I like to do. I don’t like violence. I don’t want to play people who are hurting people.”
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After seeing Cage in “Longlegs,” it’s quite obvious why people would want him to play a serial killer in the future. He’s frightening, and his brand of acting—which typically involves a transformation of some sort—works so well in the new film. But if his heart isn’t in it, and he’s not all that interested in being a scary killer, then obviously that’s not a great option.
Nicolas Cage has hinted that his acting days will be over relatively soon, so perhaps, he just wants to carefully pick his roles moving forward. Ultimately, everyone knows that Cage is fairly unpredictable, so we’ll just have to wait and see.