Nicolas Cage Got ‘Really Drunk’ Shooting 1 ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ Scene
Nicolas Cage has developed quite a reputation for taking on a wide range of roles showcasing his over-the-top performance style. The star has a bizarre filmography that ranges from critically acclaimed dramas to blockbuster hits to…well, some duds. (At least as far as audiences were concerned.) For his part, Cage has no regrets about any role he’s taken on. This includes Leaving Last Vegas, an Oscar-winning film that included a scene in which he was actually drunk.
‘Leaving Las Vegas’ premiered in 1995
Leaving Las Vegas premiered in 1995, and it marked a kind of turning point in Cage’s career. The actor had put on a steady stream of supporting performances since the early 1980s. But the mid-to-late-1990s saw him take on starring roles in such hits as Face/Off (1997), Con Air (1997), City of Angels (1998), and Snake Eyes (1998). By the turn of the millennium, there could be no question that Cage was squarely in leading man territory. And Leaving Las Vegas helped establish that reputation.
In the drama, Cage stars as washed-up screenwriter Ben Sanderson, a man at the end of his rope. Marriage exploded, he’s found himself increasingly isolated and turning to alcohol as a crutch. As his situation spirals, he heads to Las Vegas with the intention of drinking himself to death. It’s then that he meets Sera, a sex worker (played by Elisabeth Shue) whose own problems offer him an opportunity to have a judgment-free relationship. But things get more complicated as time goes on.
A ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ scene left Nicolas Cage ‘really drunk’
As BuzzFeed reports, the actor spoke about his acting process for an episode of Inside the Actor’s Studio in 2003. He explained to host James Lipton that he usually separates alcohol from his work, but this film was different. “I never drink when I act, but I wanted to incorporate in some scenes actual drinking,” Nicolas Cage said of Leaving Las Vegas. The result was that some of the most iconic moments in the movie were legitimately reflections of the star’s altered state of being. “So that scene in the casino when I’m freaking out, I’m really drunk,” he revealed.
This kind of method acting also meant some improvised lines made it into the final cut. As Cage’s character Ben Sanderson is being pulled off the casino floor by security, the actor wails, “I am his father!” As the actor explains, “That was sort of a primal scream that came out of me that wasn’t in the script.”
Nicolas Cage has famously discussed his philosophy toward acting
In an interview with Insider, Cage opened up about his acting methodology, which is quite unique. He has termed his process as “nouveau shamanism,” though not for any real reason. “Nouveau shamanism was just something I came up with,” he said. “I thought it sounded cool.”
Explaining a bit more of what the process looks like, Cage made it clear that he wants to become his characters when he steps into the role. “The process itself is about: How do you augment your imagination in a healthy way? So that you can believe you’re these characters,” he explained.
Fans were delighted to find Cage was able to channel this approach in a very meta way when he played himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Few actors could pull off such a ridiculous concept without making it too wobbly to work. But Cage’s talent, experience, and “nouveau shamanism” seem to have done the trick.
