“When I started acting, I was much more of an anarchist. I was only interested in doing movies where I was rebellious and doing kind of punk rock, alternative performances. I neglected the mainstream side of the industry. I became aware that I was weirding myself right out of the business and I needed to have some balance. Now, I’m at a point where I need to look for work that keeps me interested and keeps me excited about acting. I was up for the challenge and the risk of ‘ Bad Lieutenant.’ ” — Nicholas Cage says he tapped the old nutty and loveable Nic Cage of yore for Werner Herzog’s new film.
In this odd Parade interview he says about working in New Orleans, “I needed to go back there for personal reasons, which I can’t talk about, because the city compels me to be there,” and talks about going to Uganda in oblique terms. “I’ll spend eight days there, but I don’t want to talk too much about it because it’s sort of about my new life in terms of what I want to do with the emphasis on action.”
Cage’s off-the-rails performance in “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” isn’t entirely successful, but if he’s losing it again as this interview suggests, we’re all for it.