Muristek
Whether they’re sending themselves up or shedding an off-screen persona, there is a peculiar delight in seeing an actor take on a role they were literally born to play
Acting is all about immersing yourself in a character, embracing someone else’s reality and leaving yourself behind in the process. That is, unless you go for the ultimate role: yourself. For those who have been unable to resist the allure of the familiar, appearing as a heightened version of themselves in a film can lead to one of the most intriguing performances of their career.
Nicolas Cage is the latest actor to put his on- and off-screen persona under the white-hot glare of the Hollywood microscope in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, a bracingly original meta-comedy. Not only is he playing himself – albeit a more cash-strapped version facing financial ruin – he also stars as his imaginary alter ego: Nicky (a Wild At Heart-era Cage who has been eerily de-aged with CGI).
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