Nicolas Cage took on the role of a lifetime earlier this year in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent where he became a fictionalized version of himself named Nick Cage. Collider is thrilled to share an exclusive look behind the scenes of Cage's transformation into "Nicky," with the beloved actor talking about how much fun it was to become a younger version of himself. In the film, Nick Cage has reached the end of his tether as an actor, father, and husband, and finds himself thrown headfirst into a CIA operation when he takes one last (high paying) job to attend his superfan Javi's (Pedro Pascal) birthday in Spain.

In the featurette, the film's director Tom Gormican also discusses the dynamic between Nick and Nicky, explaining how the juxtaposition between the two men was supposed to allow Nick to grapple with his former persona as he tried to figure out who he was as an actor, father, and husband. The key was that it would allow him to grow as a person as he rectified the differences between the person he was with the person he had become. It works quite well in the film, creating something very poignant wrapped in outlandish comedy. But perhaps the most unexpected moment between Nick and Nicky in the film is one that Nic Cage actually brought to the table! Towards the end of the middle act of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, the younger Nicky locks lips with his older self, to his horror and the audience's amusement, and it turns out that wasn't an idea crafted by the screenwriter Kevin Etten—it was all Nic Cage.

Cage also shares that he was initially not interested in being in a film about a fictionalized version of himself, but that he was hooked by the idea of playing "Young Nick," which we all know as Nicky now. It's interesting how life imitates art on many levels with this film, considering the fact that Nic Cage is essentially playing Nick Cage playing Nick Cage. And that's the most that can be said without giving too much away about the film's epic final act.

Nicolas Cage, Lily Sheen and Sharon Horgan in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Image via Lionsgate

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In addition to Cage and Pascal, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent also stars TIffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, Sharon Horgan, Lily Mo Sheen, Neil Patrick Harris, Alessandra Mastronardi, Paco León, and Demi Moore.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent arrives on Digital June 7 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand June 21 from Lionsgate. Check out the exclusive featurette below: