揭开“凯奇”

尼古拉斯・凯奇，好莱坞的实力派演员。曾以一部《远离赌城》中对生活丧失信心饮酒结束生命的酒鬼角色获得奥斯卡最佳男主角。他用对生活的热情和电影事业的热爱演绎着他的每一个角色。

Nicolas Cage takes on his roles with the same intensity he brings to his own life.

When he was 17 and trying to break into Hollywood, Nicolas Coppola came to a fork in the road. After a series of rejections, he considered joining the Merchant Marine and abandoning his dream of acting, but decided to give it one more shot. He soon landed a part in Rumble Fish, directed by his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, and his career took off.

Q: What made you decide to become an actor?

Cage: When I was 15,I went to see James Dean in East of Eden. I was so affected by his performance,how it made me feel about my life. It was more meaningful than anything I’d ever read or listened to,and I thought, That’s what I want to do. Nothing is going to stop me.

Q:What inspired the name Cage?

Cage: At a young age, I was interested in comic books,which was really how I learned to read. The name Cage came from a comic book character called Power Man. Later,I discovered John Cage,the avant-garde composer,and thought that he was interesting.

Q:Does the extended Coppola family have regular reunions these days?

Cage: I would like to think of us all at the big table having spaghetti,laughing and listening to the opera, but everyone’s off doing their own thing. It’s a sad reality―sort of an American epidemic of family. Now, my wife comes from a Korean family that is so tight-knit. There’s an understanding that you will have dinner together,at least once a week. I think it would be helpful if more American families spent more time together.

Q:Tell me about your marriage to Alice.

Cage: It’s amazing marrying someone who wants absolutely nothing to do with Hollywood. She doesn’t want to act, to make movies―she’s interested in clothes and making her own jewelry,and she’s very family-oriented.

Q:How is it having this little baby?

Cage: I’m much more relaxed this time. The first time,you haven’t got a clue what you’re doing.

Q:Has being a father changed you?

Cage: It’s the most significant transformation in my life. When I had Weston at 26,I became less self-involved and more interested in others. Everything we do impacts someone else’s life.

Q:You’ve said you’re happiest when you’re working. Are you a workaholic?

Cage: I’m into creating. I’m not anywhere in the league of H.G. Wells,but when people say I work too much,I say well H.G. Wells wrote a lot of books. Were people going to tell him to stop?

Q:What makes you a good actor?

Cage: I care about the connection with the audience. Film is such a powerful medium. Movies can change the way people think. So when I go into it,I think,how can I do something with this and be helpful in some way?

Q:How are action movies helpful?

Cage: The world we live in is very violent. Maybe there’s something we can learn from the violence itself to prevent people from doing it.

Q:What are you most proud of in terms of what you've done?

Cage: I try not to be proud. I try to actively attack pride. If I can get through a period of time when everything seems to be okay, when the people I care about aren’t going through any major strife,I’m happy about that.

Q:Do you worry about growing old?

Cage: I kinda like it. I feel more relaxed. I’m not as volatile. I can do a lot more good in this stage than I could in my 20s. There’s a grace that comes with age. You say the right thing at the right time as opposed to blurting things out. You can get your emotions to work for you rather than run you down. We all have fire in us. It just needs to be harnessed.

Q:Looking back at your life, do you have regrets?

Cage: No,I’ve made a lot of mistakes,but I’ve learned from them. Mistakes can be teachers too.