INT: Cage/Mendes!

It’s
cool seeing somebody so passionate about comics finally getting the
opportunity to don the red boots and cape. Oh no wait… that was
SUPERMAN. Well, Nicolas Cage didn’t get that part, but he did
get the chance to have a flaming skull and a badass chopper. This
man is so dedicated to the character of GHOST
RIDER
that he
even had him tattooed on his back. Talk about passion. Then we have
Eva Mendes, one of the hottest people on the planet. And believe it
or not, she looks even better in person!

JoBlo.com
got the chance to chat with both of the GHOST RIDER
stars and find out a little bit about the movie, as well as what the
future has in store for them.

Nicolas
Cage: Anybody here from Entertainment Weekly? Because I hate that
magazine. [Laughter]

What
did Entertainment Weekly do to you?

Cage:
Entertainment Weekly hasn’t done anything to me. Somebody asked me a
question about, “Do you think comic book movies get a bad
rap?” And someone mentioned to me that there was a blurb in
Entertainment Weekly, very condescendingly, “We get a kick out
of watching Academy Award winners being in movies they have no
business being seen in.” And I thought, “Well, that’s
really shallow thinking, because they can’t get outside their own
box.”

They
don’t understand the concept of what I would say is art. You
have different styles and you can choose to be photo realistic like

World

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, or you can be pop art illustrative. Why limit yourself to one
style of acting? And especially when you look at Ghost Rider you see
a comic book story structure that digs a little deeper. It doesn’t
take itself too seriously, of course, it’s funny, but it’s coming
from classic themes like Faust with Gerta or Thomas Mann or then
Beauty and the Beast and it’s fascinating to take those story
structures and reintroduce people to it in a pop art, contemporary
manner.

In
a comic book especially, which is fun and reaches a lot of people.
Entertainment Weekly is the kind of magazine that is very
condescending and they think in a very narrow box and they always
have. So that’s why I would recommend that if you really want to
really get your information and know what movies to go see, I
wouldn’t resort to that particular publication, because they are
pretty shallow.

There
was a point when movies like Star Wars started to get recognized by
the Oscars. Do you think there’ll be a time when comic book movies
receive that much appreciation?

Cage:
They deserve to, but the problem is you have people like
Entertainment Weekly who don’t want to take the beret off their head
and stop being so self important and pretentious about the little
art film – which I love too – but open your minds. Some very
creative people put a lot of hard movie into this movie. Kevin Mack,
he drew those visual effects brilliantly with his team. And it’s
just a fun ride. It’s a spooky ride. And I hope to see these movies
get a little more attention at some point.

Eva,
there’s an intimate moment when his heads on fire, and you touch
him… how hard was it to get into that mindset?

Eva
Mendes: Well, I’m a five-year-old at heart. I still think that there
is a monster under my bed. And I’m not joking. It’s pathetic, it’s
really not cute. [Laughter] So, my imagination, I can go there in a
second. Actually, I have the reverse problem. It’s hard for me to
control my imagination from not going there.

Cage:
Yeah, it’s all about imagination. And that’s what the comics did for
me as a boy. I read Ghost Rider and I read The Hulk. I liked the
monsters. I liked them because I couldn’t understand how something
so scary could also be so good. It got me thinking as a very early
age. And I had a lot of rehearsal. I was Ghost Rider in my backyard
at 8 years old. Nothing’s changed.

Mendes:
Funny, I was Pippi Longstocking in my backyard.

Cage:
You’re a nicer girl.

Mendes:
Yeah, I was.

What
was your barometer in how far you could go with the character?

Cage:
Well, that was what I was really excited about. I like the old grand
werewolf movies. And I always wanted to find a way to apply my
acting in a big bad monster movie where I was transforming into this
scary entity. And I worked with Kevin about where I thought I might
go in terms of the physical expressions and he would take snapshots
of them. So, I thought there’d be pain because the skin was melting
off my face, but then maybe ecstasy, because the power of the Ghost
Rider was surging through me and he was starting to get off on that
a little bit.

And
then also sadness about what is happening. So he would download all
these different facial expressions into the computer, and then I
would work with Mark on the day with the DP as to where the camera
was going to go and match my moves with the camera. So it became
like a dance and then wherever I had to go in that private place to
come up with this imaginary belief that I was transforming into this
monster. I wanted it to be like an aria. I wanted even the screams
to be like music, like an operatic aria.

Eva,
your wardrobe in this film is very “cleavage friendly.”
Was that your idea?

Mendes:
[Laughter] It’s obviously not my personal style, because I am as
bundled up as you can get today. But, yeah, that was a choice that
the director and I made, as far as like my character in the comic
book, Roxanne, is very voluptuous, blonde hair, blue eyes, Caucasian
and I’m not Caucasian, I’m a terrible blonde and I don’t have blue
eyes, so I figure, “Well hey, let’s play up my voluptuous
nature.” So we did, and in that way were honest to the real
comic book heroine.

Is
it frustrating that some people think your shirtless scene isn’t
real?

Cage:
Well, I guess on one hand it’s a compliment, but on the other hand
that’s a lot of hard work and it’s just getting written off that
somebody just did it digitally. It’s a little frustrating.

Considering
how involved you were in the production, what was it that you wanted
in the character?

Cage:
It’s a deeply personal character and I was trying to find a new way
of presenting how he would keep dark spirits at bay. I didn’t want
him being a heavy drinker or a chain smoker. I wanted him eating
jellybeans so he wouldn’t invite the devils in. And I wanted him
listening to Karen Carpenter to help him relax so he wouldn’t invite
the devil in with, like, satanic Goth rock or something. Or, he’s
watching chimpanzees do karate instead of The Exorcist. And all
three of those things I was doing in my own life. I was eating
jellybeans out of a martini glass and listening to Karen Carpenter
and on the Internet watching chimps do karate. And I thought,
“Well this is funny, let’s put it in the movie.” But it’s
also true.

What
about the x-rays of your skull?

Cage:
Yeah, we did all that. They grafted my skull so I guess it is me,
which is kind of wild. But what I really love about this character
is that we’re all him. We all have human skulls, right? You’ve got
one, I’ve got one and we’ve all got one and yet we look at it and we
go, “That’s scary.” And then after a little while you go,
“Wait a minute. That’s beautiful. He’s human, and he’s a total
bad ass.” He’s fighting the dark forces, but he’s human. It’s
pretty neat.

Eva,
you have that scene where you wield a shotgun. Were you happy your
character got to kick some ass at the end?

Mendes:
Yes, I was very happy.

Was
that in the script when you read it?

Mendes:
No, it wasn’t. Mark added that for me, he probably just felt bad
since I had major superhero envy the entire shoot. I was like,
“I want my head to be on fire.”

Cage:
Well, I have plans for her.

Mendes:
Oh, that’s right. I’m gonna hold you to that.

Cage:
I’m working on it. I want her to be the She-Hulk.

Mendes:
Wouldn’t that be cool?

Cage:
That is what I’m working on. I have to talk to Avi about that.

Did
you read David Goyer’s much darker script?

Cage:
Yeah, that was a good script. It was really good. Steve Norrington
of Blade was directing and David wrote that script and I was on
board for that. But, whatever happened the studio didn’t want to
make it.

Because
it was more R-rated?

Cage:
Yeah. That would have also been a good movie. But that movie
dissolved and then Avi brought Mark in and I talked to Mark. And
Mark found a way to make it more palatable to larger audiences. It
became more of a spooky ride. You know you go to the amusement park
and you have a rollercoaster and then you have the Haunted Mansion.
This is just the right amount of scares to get your adrenaline up,
but not so much that you can’t finish the ride. It’s something for
the family.

What
was it like working with Peter Fonda?

Cage:
That was a trip. And he made a movie called The Trip. [Laughter]

Mendes:
And he was on a lot of acid trips. [Laughter]

Cage:
Peter is the reason why I ride motorcycles. I saw Easy Rider and the
next day I bought a Harley Davidson and went from L.A. to San
Francisco and back to L.A. and became Captain America in my mind.
So, when they decided to make this movie and we thought about who
was going to play Mephistopheles, originally I wanted Tom Waits. And
that was the whole lamp, wig, Pinocchio thing, you know?

But
the studio decided with Mark with Peter and I thought about it and I
said, ‘Well you know, that makes sense because who better to seduce
a stunt man to sell his soul, but Captain America, ‘Easy Rider’
himself.” And we were there play acting together and there is
this bike there and this is Peter there and he’s talking. And I
stepped out of myself and looked at the two of us and thought,
“This is really cool.”

Nic,
when we talked to you last, you said you weren’t sure you wanted to
continue on with this series. But Mark said there have been some
talks since then… Can you now see yourself doing a Ghost Rider 2?

Cage:
Well, it depends upon the reaction from the movie going audiences if
they are enthusiastic about it and if there is a good script. But I
would say of all the characters I’ve played, my interests coincide
with where this particular character could go. I am interested in
the metaphysical nature of Ghost Rider and his world. I am a man
with an open mind. I really don’t know anything, but I’m very
interested in the spiritual and the material. And that this is the
one superhero who walks between both worlds, I think it’s pretty
exciting because he’s new. And there is a lot of room for adventure
with this guy.

What
about National Treasure 2? Jerry says you’re very involved with the
development of that one.

Cage:
I think National Treasure is a good one because there are worse
things to do than stimulate young people to look in their history
books. There is no gunfire, there’s no body count. It’s really good
entertainment for everybody and I enjoy that. I like the idea of
playing a historical detective. This one is going to involve Abraham
Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth and the Booth diary and Confederate
gold and it has the potential to be more interesting than the first.
And then Ghost Rider for me is probably closer to my heart, because
– as I said earlier – my interests, in the possibilities of the
spiritual and the material with this part. I think we are living in
pretty scary times and people are looking for inspiration and are
also more open to the spiritual possibilities.

Are
you working on any other upcoming projects, aside from National
Treasure 2?

Cage:
Yeah, National Treasure 2 is all I have up next.

Mendes:
I did my first real like dramatic role last year with Joaquin
Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg and Robert Duvall and it’s called We Own
The Night, directed by James Gray, which I’m really excited about.
And then I produced my first independent film, it’s a small film,
but we got it done and it’s called Live! And it just got accepted to
the Tribeca Film Festival. And I’m really proud, because it’s a real
indie, indie, indie. I mean, the budget was nothing. And we
scrambled and we got it together and we did it. Right now I’m
working on a film called Cleaner with Ed Harris – so cute – and
Samuel Jackson. That’s another drama. I kind of got hooked being
directed by James Gray, I kind of love the torture of dramas and I’m
kind of in that place right now. I play this widow and it’s very
dramatic.

Cage:
…But Entertainment Weekly is more like a tabloid. So, if you are
going to get a tabloid, get the National Inquirer, because at least
they have a horoscope. Why the extra dollar getting Entertainment
Weekly when you can get a horoscope with the National Inquirer?
[Laughter]

Mendes:
Did you just make that up? That’s very funny.

Cage:
I was thinking about it the whole time [you were talking].
[Laughter]

What
comics would you like to see made into a movie?

Cage:
Well, I’m really done. I think Ghost Rider is my guy and I’m going
to stick with that, but if I had to pay my $7 bucks or $8 bucks or
however much it is now…

Mendes:
It’s like $9.50. [Laughter]

Cage:
I would go to see the Sub-Mariner come to life. I want to see the
water and all the animal life.

Mendes:
And She-Hulk.

Cage:
Oh, yeah, well that I’m working on.

Would
you produce She-Hulk?

Cage:
I’m trying to put that together. As we speak.

Mendes:
You guys got to keep bugging him.

Cage:
I was talking to Avi. Do you guys get it? Can’t you see it? That
would be a fun movie, wouldn’t it? Just you in a bikini, just
kicking a bunch of ass. Throwing cars…

Mendes:
Why do I have to be in a bikini?

Cage:
Because that’s how she’s dressed. [Laughter]

Mark
said, about Ghost Rider, that there could be an extended version…

Cage:
No, I hope they don’t do that. Because I think the movie is really
right the way it is right now. Like I didn’t like it when they came
out with Apocalypse Redux. It’s better just to keep it, I think, the
way it was made to be. So I’m not going to add to that.

Mendes:
I haven’t seen the movie. It’s the first time I’m waiting until the
premiere actually. I’ve never done this before, waited for the
premiere. I will definitely have some wine before I go in, but it
will be exciting.

Do
you have problems watching yourself?

Mendes:
The first run? Yeah. I hate everything the first run. I’m like,
“I’m awful!” I just think I’m terrible. And then I’m more
forgiving the second time. So, I always see something for sure one
time and then I make myself see it a second time. Because second
time is like, “OK, I’m not that bad. I’m not that
horrible.” But the first time I think I’m just god-awful.

Are
you also doing a cameo in Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse?

Cage:
My friend Rob Zombie… I know him only socially. I like him. He’s a
nice man. We have good memories together over the years. He said,
“Would [you] do this part of Fu Man Chu?” and I said sure.
One day, two lines, I mean it was just completely ridiculous. I
haven’t seen it. I’m not in any of the movies. Two seconds, that’s
it.

What
if Entertainment Weekly ends up giving Ghost Rider a very positive
review?

Cage:
It doesn’t really matter. I don’t have any faith in anything they
say. So they can say something good or something bad, I don’t really
care. I’m just saying that I think it’s a mistake if you refer to
that magazine religiously as your guide as to whether or not you’re
going to see a movie or not. You’re shooting yourself in the foot,
because they don’t get it. They can’t think outside the box. They
are very narrow-minded. So it doesn’t really matter if they say
anything nice or bad, I really can’t take it seriously.

Got questions? Got comments? Send me a line at:
[email protected].