Nicolas Cageis already generating a lot of buzz for his upcoming role as a twisted killer in Osgood Perkins’Longlegs– and that is before his character was given no more than a fleeting appearance in the trailer. While Perkins has made it clear that the first time anyone will get to see Cage’s character in full is when the movie debuts in theaters on July 12, the actor himself has been teasing his performance as one that will“change your reality.”
Perkins’ thriller revolves arounda serial killer hunted by an FBI agentwho uncovers a series of occult-related clues that she must decode to stop the killer. The film boasts a strong cast including Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, and Michelle Choi-Lee. And, of course, Cage as the central killer.
Longlegs is a horror thriller film by writer-director Osgood Perkins. When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case, their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole riddled with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all. When the trail of evidence reveals a personal connection, it becomes a race against time to prevent another murder.
In an interview withEntertainment Weekly, Cage shared some intriguing insight into his mysterious and dangerous character inLonglegs. In his usual unique descriptive style, Cage said this about what is his most unpredictable role to date.
“It’s the equivalent of putting a warning label on a jar of nitroglycerin. The monster is a highly, highly dangerous substance. The way it’s moved, unveiled, deployed has to be treated very carefully. Forget about the movie theater blowing up; the whole city could blow up, nay the country, maybe even the world. He is going to change your reality. Your doors of perception are going to open, and your life is not going to be the same.
I was coming at it from, what exactly was it that drove my mother insane? It was a deeply personal kind of performance for me because I grew up trying to cope with what she was going through. She would talk in terms that were kind of poetry. I didn’t know how else to describe it. I tried to put that in the Longlegs character because he’s really a tragic entity. He’s at the mercy of these voices that are talking to him and getting him to do these things.”
Nicolas Cage Says Longlegs Will Change Audiences’ Perception of Life
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Cage’s approach to the role of a serial killer inLonglegsis one that promises to be a unique experience in a genre that has, at times, become too predictable for its own good. Withfirst reactions callingLonglegsthe best horror movie in years, and one of the best films of the year, the atmospheric and chilling story that Cage himself believes will make people think that their"life is not going to be the same"after seeing the movie.
That may seem like quite a boast, and something so outlandish that it could never possibly be true. However, when Cage says it, there is every chance that he could be right.
Longlegsis released in the U.S. on July 12.
