I wanted to experiment: can I develop a family which was not unlike my own upbringing?
saysNicolas Cage, while talking toDen of Geekabout his new movieArcadian, which premiered atSXSW 2024.
So it was just my father, and in this case, myself and my older brother.
I saw that family dynamic in the [Elia] Kazan picture,East of Eden.
And youd mostly be right… mostly.
But then Cage completes his thought.
Science fiction is important to me because it is freedom of speech, he says.
I think that its relevant.
It seems like its something that is on peoples minds, whether its conscious or subconscious.
He also notes thatArcadiansbrand of post-apocalyptic sci-fi reflects fears of whats happening in the environment.
I think thats the case in this small movie.
Were talking about something that could happen and it is on peoples minds.
An aspect ofArcadianthat invites that comparison for Cage is the shape-changing nature of the monsters.
One minute they kind of look like a primate, next minute kind of like a reptile.
Terrifying as those creatures sound, the initial designs that Brewer showed Cage werent that impressive.
For his monster, Brewer tried to replicate the uncanny nature of a creature mutating into Goofy.
Cage was not impressed.
No, no, no!
Think praying mantis, think insect, its got to be scary!
Im not killing that.
I remember having a fever as a child andTheWizard of Ozcame on.
Or when the mask came off when hes at the piano.
It kept going on repeat in my nightmares.
All those elements were kind of terrifying to me as a child.
Childhood fears and experiences both went into Cages process for crafting a character inArcadian.
Its that pop in of creative approach that makes Cage one of the most fascinating actors working today.
Arcadian premiered at SXSW 2024 on March 11.
The film will hit theaters on April 12.
