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Nicolas Cage has opened up on his incredible take as Dracula in Renfield, and whether he would ever make the switch to James Bond.
In the modern take on the creepy vampire, released on April 14, the focus shifts to his loyal servant, Robert Montague Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), while the Oscar-winner stars as his ever-demanding, narcissistic, blood-thirsty boss.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk at the New York premiere of his latest flick, held at MoMA, he detailed how he got into the mindset of one of the creepiest characters in history.
‘Whenever I play a character, whether it’s in a dramatic movie or whether it’s horror or fantasy, like Renfield, I still approach it the same way,’ he told us. ‘I try to understand the character, try to find the truth in the character.
‘I always believed, even from reading the book, that Dracula was a study of love in exile, not “and”. Love in exile. That he is symbolic of unrequited love, and whenever you feel you’re not getting the love back, it’s almost as if you go bad.
‘Dracula is a character who has made a contract with dark forces, and he has this curse of eternal existence, in which he’s constantly getting his heart broken again and again.
Nicolas Cage expertly played Dracula in new flick Renfield (Picture: WireImage)
‘To me, those are human experiences, but the Dracula character becomes a symbol of that.’
Nicolas has had one of the most varied careers in Hollywood, winning acclaim for his roles in Con Air, the National Treasure franchise, Gone in 60 Seconds, Leaving Las Vegas and Face/Off, while Kick Ass will always be a personal favorite for many.
Who could forget when he played himself in the excellent Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent just last year?
However, there is one role that he would take a back seat on, revealing he has absolutely no desire to play James Bond.
He reunited with Nicholas Hoult more than a decade after they first worked together (Picture: Getty)
When asked whether we could ever dream of a Nicolas Cage 007, he instead put another name up for the super-spy.
‘Oh, no, no, I’m not up for that! Bond is always British,’ he continued. ‘I know a lot of British actors play a lot of the American superheroes like Batman and Superman, but I have respect for Bond [and the British] version.
‘Any chance of Bond, for me, is long gone but I think Nicholas Hoult would be a great James Bond. I think he’d be perfect.’
We absolutely need to make this happen.
Nicolas described their time on set as a ‘dance’ (Picture: Universal)
Renfield is released in cinemas on April 14 (Picture: Universal)
Renfield is the second time that the pair have starred opposite one another, having previously played father and son in 2005’s The Weatherman when the Skins alum was just 14 years old.
Discussing their reunion, Nicolas couldn’t help but rave about how far his pal had come in that time.
‘I never had any doubt and I’m not surprised whatsoever at the star he has subsequently become,’ he added. ‘When I worked with him on The Weatherman, he had so much poise and confidence as a film actor.
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‘When I heard he was starring this, I was so excited to get back on set with him. In this case, I was supporting him and I could watch what he was doing.
‘He has a natural gift of comedic timing that just comes naturally to him. But he can also turn on a dime and be very vulnerable and tragic.
‘He really set the pace, I was watching where he was going and supporting him, I was matching that with him so it became almost like a dance.’
Renfield is in cinemas on April 14.
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‘He is symbolic of unrequited love.’