Nicolas Cage on versatility, almost playing Green Goblin in Spider-Man

Nicolas Cage emphasizes his career versatility, revealing he almost played Green Goblin. He discusses his new role in 'Spider-Noir,' inspired by Bogart and Cagney, and details performing his own wirework for the black-and-white Marvel series.

Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage shared that he has never wanted to limit himself to playing only heroes or villains, emphasising the importance of versatility throughout his decades-long Hollywood career, according to People.

On Career Versatility and Past Roles

Cage opened up about the kinds of roles he enjoys portraying on screen. "Villain? I've played plenty of villains. I like both. I think they're both important parts of cinema. I would not want to get trapped into doing one thing," Cage told People.

The actor also revealed that he once discussed playing Green Goblin with director Sam Raimi during the early development of Spider-Man, but eventually chose to star in Adaptation instead. "I decided to do another movie, a much smaller noir of sorts, more romantic than tragic noir," Cage said of Adaptation. "But I remember saying to Sam, 'I hope whoever you cast [as Spider-Man] really embraces the arachnid body language, at least for one moment. Alone in his apartment, he's crawling on the ceiling or something," according to People.

The role of Green Goblin ultimately went to Willem Dafoe, while Tobey Maguire starred as Spider-Man. Cage later joined the Marvel universe as Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider and its sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

Over the years, he has also portrayed darker characters, including a serial killer in Longlegs and a fictionalised version of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

Starring in 'Spider-Noir'

In Spider-Noir, Cage stars as Ben Reilly, a private investigator in 1930s New York with spider-like abilities. The actor had previously voiced the character in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. However, according to Variety, the new series is not connected to the Spider-Verse films and is instead based on the 2008 Spider-Man Noir comic series from Marvel. The series also stars Lamorne Morris, Brendan Gleeson and Jack Huston, among others.

Crafting the Performance

Discussing his approach to the role, Cage said he drew inspiration from classic Hollywood icons. "I wanted to blend some of my favourite old-style actors, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, and collide them with Stan Lee's masterpiece, Spider-Man, and create something new," Cage said.

The actor added that he hoped to create "this, almost like a pop-art Lichtenstein painting and performance style." In an earlier interview with Esquire, Cage described the character as "70 per cent Bogart, and 30 per cent Bugs Bunny," according to People.

On Performing Stunts

Cage also spoke about performing stunt work for the series. "I don't have any crazy stories," he said. "I did a lot of wirework, which is understandable since this character is flying around quite a bit on webs. I always get a kick out of that."

"Everybody was on point so I was safe," he added. "But for me, that's just the fun part of doing this. Primarily, I was focused on trying to craft this performance style that would fit in the black-and-white format."

A Unique Visual Style

The series will stream in two versions -- "Authentic Black and White" and "True-Hue Full Colour."

"The truth is, they both work, and they're beautiful for different reasons," Cage said. "The colour is super saturated and gorgeous. I think teenage viewers will appreciate the colour, but I also want them to have the option."

"If they want to experience the concept in black and white, maybe that would instil some interest in them to look at earlier movies and enjoy that as an art form as well," he added.

Upcoming Projects

Following Spider-Noir, Cage will next appear as legendary football coach John Madden in Madden alongside Christian Bale, according to People.

Spider-Noir premieres on MGM+ on May 25 and on Prime Video on May 27.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)