Regret is sort of a punishment in itself. And who else other than Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage can vouch for that? In a candid interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Nicolas Cage expressed deep remorse for a decision he made while working on the 1988 black horror comedy, Vampire’s Kiss. Portraying the character Peter Loew, a literary critic who believes he has turned into a vampire after being bitten, Cage attempted to enhance the impact of a particular scene. However, it seems that this attempt still haunts the Ghost Rider actor.
And admitting that he will never do anything like it ever again, Cage shared the motivation behind his bizarre decision in a media interaction.
Nicolas Cage reveals that every muscle of his body fought against his decision
During the interview, Nicolas Cage revealed that he ate two cockroaches on camera during the shoot of Vampire’s Kiss. Even though the film’s script originally demanded the actor to eat a raw egg, Cage decided to replace it with a cockroach to enhance the impact of the scene.
With the intention to shock the audience, Cage shared his motivations on the film’s commentary track. He said, “I saw it as a business decision because when people see the cockroach go in my mouth…[they] really react.”
However, years after the incident, the Con Air actor said, “I’ll never do that again. I’m sorry I did it at all.” Moreover, he further added, “Every muscle in my body didn’t want to do it, but I did it anyway.”.
And unfortunately for Cage, the Robert Bierman-directed film, which also featured María Conchita Alonso, Jennifer Beals, and Elizabeth Ashley in prominent roles, faced commercial failure – despite the dedicated cockroach-eating performance.
Nicolas Cage, Cockroaches, and Vampires – did history repeat itself?
In 2023, Cage took on the role of an actual vampire in the horror comedy Renfield. Portraying Count Dracula, he appeared alongside Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Adrian Martinez, and Shohreh Aghdashloo in Chris McKay’s directorial venture.
But this time, it was Cage’s co-star Nicholas Hoult who took up the role of consuming bugs. However, fortunately, they weren’t real ones. Talking about his experience while shooting the scenes, Hoult said,
“The cockroaches I got to eat in this were caramel. I also had crickets that were actually quite yummy; they were salt and vinegar flavored or barbecue smoky flavored.”
The film has garnered mixed reviews, with a 58 percent score on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. However, Hoult’s role triggered Cage’s remorseful reflection on his cockroach consumption.
But despite it all, Cage’s actions in Vampire’s Kiss highlight the lengths actors sometimes go to achieve memorable performances. While the film did not achieve commercial success, Cage’s commitment to his craft continues to be recognized, as seen in his recent portrayal of Count Dracula in Renfield.
