The FILMSTARTS editorial staff is buzzing with die-hard Nicolas Cage enthusiasts, who love to see the jack-of-all-trades in front of the camera when he is completely free again – and thus forgive him for one misstep or the other. Because even real cage heads have to admit: It can sometimes be torture to get through some of the Oscar winner’s less successful films. While it’s not known in most cases whether he regrets pickles like “211 – Cops Under Fire,” “The Humanity Bureau,” or “A Score To Settle” afterwards, the actor now admits mistakes elsewhere:
For “Vampire’s Kiss – Biting fun“Nicolas Cage once ate two cockroaches on camera, who he is talking to now to remind. But whoever believes that Cage, who was still young at the time and just emerging in Hollywood, was forced to do so, is wrong. It wasn’t just Cage’s free choice, it was his idea to eat the little animals.
How the cockroach scene in “Vampire’s Kiss” came about
“Vampire’s Kiss” tells the story of literary agent Peter Loew, played by Cage, who prefers to escape his dreary day at work by wandering the streets of Manhattan at night. Always looking for fleeting adventures, he meets the attractive Rachel (Jennifer Beals), with whom he ends up in bed. So far so good. But then the beautiful stranger bites Peter on the neck during the act of love – and before the yuppie knows it, he can’t stand the light of day anymore, sleeps under the couch and eats cockroaches…
As Cage revealed years ago, no animals were originally intended to be used in the scene that still seems to haunt him 35 years later. According to the script it should Nicholas Kooi swallowed a raw egg, but insisted on eating cockroaches instead. In the audio commentary included with the DVD, the actor speaks of a pure ‘business decision’ with which he wanted to evoke stronger reactions from the public than an egg would have been the case.
On the occasion of his press tour for “Renfield” – his latest vampire movie – he explained now: “I’ll never do that again. […] I’m sorry I even did that.” A few years ago, Cage revealed that director Robert Bierman’s cult leech comedy still holds a very special place in his heart. When Cage chose the four best roles of his career, Peter Loew was among them.
“Renfield”: Return of the Cockroaches
If you want to get in the mood for Nicolas Cage’s vampire return in “Renfield” (Theatrical Release: May 25, 2023), “Vampire’s Kiss” is not currently available in streaming, but as a Noble Media Book Edition on Blu-ray:
Incidentally, in “Renfield” Cage is the vampire prince Dracula himself, while this time the focus is on his eponymous assistant Renfield, who has been tormented for centuries. Because he finally wants to take his life into his own hands and get out of Dracula’s shadow.
actor Nicholas Holt Incidentally, he imitated his fellow players – and also eats cockroaches in ‘Renfield’. Only these are just made of delicious caramel. However, the actor wasn’t too thrilled about the Colorado potato beetle that Hoult had to eat…