Cage has been acting for almost 45 years, and has appeared in more than 100 films. Dream Scenario is one of five scripts he's encountered in his career that he knew, immediately upon reading, he had to take on. He spoke with Dave Davies about becoming a meme, changing his name from Coppola to Cage, and maybe breaking into TV. Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead remembers composer Carla Bley, who died this year. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
On the Ted Radio hour, linguist Ann Curzan says she gets a lot of complaints about people using the pronoun they to refer to one person.
I sometimes get into arguments with people where they will say to me, but it can't be singular.
And I will say, but it is the history behind words causing a lot of debate.
That's on the Ted radio hour from NPR.
This is FRESH aiR.
I'm Dave Davies.
My guest, Nicholas Cage, has appeared in more than 100 films.
Depending on which ones you've seen.
You might think of him as an action movie hero.
He's done plenty of those.
You might also remember him starring with Cher in the romantic comedy Moonstruck or playing the dim witted but lovable criminal in the Coen brothers raising Arizona.
He won a best actor Oscar playing a writer drinking himself to death and leaving Las Vegas.
In adaptation, Cage played two characters, twin brothers, sometimes in conversation with each other in the same room.
In Face off, he and John Travolta's character trade physical identities through face transplants, so he has to morph into Travolta's character in the film.
Cage grew up in California around movie making and is a student of film history.
He's known for meticulous preparation for his characters and sometimes taking them to extremes in his performances.
He's earned a Golden Globe nomination for his latest role, which is somewhat more subdued.
In the movie Dream Scenario, he plays a college professor who strangely finds he's appearing as a bystander in the dreams of his friends, his family, his students, and eventually millions of people who make the connection and make him famous for, well, nothing.
Dream scenario, written and directed by Christopher Borgley, is in theaters now.
Nicholas Cage, welcome back to fresh aiR.