The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent asks us a very important question: If Nicolas Cage came to your birthday party and you had to essentially act out your own action movie with him, how would it go? Don’t be confused; Nic Cage plays a fictionalized version of himself called Nick Cage (the K being very important), and when you look at the movie on paper, it boils down to Nicolas Cage being ready and willing for whatever this was going to be.
So, talking with co-screenwriters Kevin Etten and Tom Gormican (the latter of whom also directed the movie), it was clear that the two wanted to showcase how talented Cage is while also asking themselves what it would feel like if Nic Cage ever decided to retire. (News flash: We’d all be equally as sad about a world without new Nicolas Cage movies.)
When I asked about the relationship between Nick Cage and Pedro Pascal’s character Javi, both Gormican and Etten talked about their dynamic and how it played into their writing of the film. “I think the most fun I had was working on and writing and rewriting the monologue that Pedro gives to Nick about how the world is broken and dark and it needs you. And like, you know, I think that ultimately was like basically how Tom and I felt about Nic coming into this process. Like if Nic ever retired, we would want to give him that speech,” Etten said. “But that was like, yeah, we worked on that one. We worked and reworked that one for a while.”
What’s so fascinating about Javi and Nick as characters is that they’re instantly in this sort of relationship with each other that is, in a way, a romance of two men finding each other just when they need the guidance the other is willing to give them, and it’s a beautiful relationship to explore. When I brought up that, Gormican agreed and went on to talk about how even the most absurd scenes felt so sweet and caring because of how the two characters loved each other.
“And for me I think the most fun part of their like little romance with each other, which you’re right. That’s kind of what it is,” Gormican said. “When they’re asked to kill each other and they don’t want to, and they’re trying to stall to get out of the car and so he’s just asking him if those are new shoes and they’re trying on each other’s shoes and it’s like the deeply like weirdest, most absurd scene in the film, but you get a genuine sense of how much these two characters love each other. And that was super fun to write and super weird and fun to see actually on set because it felt genuine.”
Our full interview!
You can see my full interview with Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten below:
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent heads to theaters this April 22 and is a must-see!
(image: Lionsgate)
