With Spring just around the corner, it won't be too long before audiences get to witness Nicolas Cage in all his bloodthirsty glory in Renfield, an upcoming horror comedy. In an interview with Total Film, the actor recently revealed details on his role as Dracula, which he said provided plenty of challenges due to the character's long-established history in film.
"The concept of Dracula, in itself, is a challenge," Cage said to Total Film. "It’s been done so many times already. It’s been done very well and it’s also been done not very well. I certainly admire Christopher Lee and Frank Langella and Bela Lugosi and Gary [Oldman]. But I wanted to see if I could bring something fresh to the character. And I also kind of always knew I had to do it at some point."
In addition to his recent comments, Cage previously said he drew inspiration for his physical performance from Max Schreck as Count Orlok in Nosferatu, the 1922 silent horror classic. Despite wishing to do an original take on the character, Cage did reveal to Total Film that he also channeled the late Christopher Lee, widely recognized for his role as the Count in Hammer's Dracula series, whose performance was used as a launching pad for his take on the character.
Cage Names His Father Among the Inspiration for His Dracula Performance
"I went back to Christopher Lee, in terms of his manner of speaking, but that was really only a starting point," he further added. "I knew Christopher. I did a small scene with him in Season of the Witch, and I liked him very much. We had a lot of nice conversations, and he reminded me quite a bit of my father, August. So from then on, my dad sort of became the main inspiration for me." With Cage drawing from various iconic portrayals of Dracula while also attempting to bring audiences a fresh take bolstered by the film's comedic premise, his role could serve as a big highlight and establish him as the latest in a long history of iconic performances that have solidified the character's place into pop culture.
While there certainly is no shortage of Dracula films, with so many adaptations gracing the silver screen over the past century, the upcoming film will center on Nicholas Hoult as the titular servant who decides to start a new life when he falls in love with a traffic cop played by Awkwafina. With a comedic edge mixed with traditional horror, Renfield may be the right adaptation audiences are looking for when it haunts theaters this April.
Renfield debuts exclusively in theaters on April 14. Check out the official trailer for the upcoming horror comedy below.