Prisoners of the Ghostland is, to my knowledge, one of the only films to use its own lead actor's words as its poster's pull quote. "The wildest movie I've ever made." - Nicolas Cage.
A tall statement, but it's definitely arguable. Directed with unhinged abandon by subversive Japanese auteur Sion Sono, Prisoners of the Ghostland sees Cage play Hero, a former bank robber hired by the mayor of Samurai Town (Bill Moseley) to find his daughter (Sofia Boutella), lost to the haunted post-apocalyptic hellscape called the Ghostland. To ensure Hero actually returns, the Mayor outfits him in a leather suit with bombs strapped to the neck, arms, and nards. It's a whole lot of movie, featuring—among many, many other things—one of the most committed deliveries of the word "testicle" you'll ever hear in your life. Luckily, I recently got the chance to sit down with Cage himself to break down the film, his creative relationship with Sono, and his inimitable acting style. We also discussed the upcoming meta action-comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent in which Nicolas Cage takes on his hardest role...Nicolas Cage.
Below is exactly what we talked about.
- The fact that his own quote, "the wildest movie I've ever made," is the pull-quote on the poster, and whether he's reflected on the fact he's at a place where that statement can sell a whole movie.
- What happens during his process between seeing the word "testicle" on the page and the epic delivery of the word "testicles" we see on screen. (Plus, what it has to do with Jimi Hendrix.)
- How he experiments with different acting styles in a film like Prisoners of the Ghostland that is working in at least four different genres.
- The backstory he worked out for Hero, and what his discussions were like with Sion Sono about how much he actually wanted to know about what is happening in this film.
- The history and research behind adding the line "I'm radioactive" into the film and why he thinks that might be controversial.
- Why he'll never watch his next movie, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which he plays an "anxiety-ridden" version of himself.
Check out exactly what Cage had to say in the player above. Prisoners of the Ghostland is available in theaters, on digital, and On Demand September 17th.
Here is the official synopsis for Prisoners of the Ghostland:
"In the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town, a ruthless bank robber (Nicolas Cage) is sprung from jail by wealthy warlord The Governor (Bill Moseley), whose adopted granddaughter Bernice (Sofia Boutella) has gone missing. The Governor offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within five days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman—and his own path to redemption."