Nicolas Cage Stayed in Character as Dracula on the Set of ‘Renfield’
Actor Nicolas Cage has often turned heads with his long list of memorable acting roles and his unique approach to embodying the characters he portrays. Fans of the over-the-top actor will be delighted to hear that he kept the method going when he stepped into the part of Dracula for the new film Renfield.
‘Renfield’ is a genre-hopping look at a familiar tale
Renfield is yet one more adaptation of the Dracula tale, a vampire story that has been told, retold, and remixed hundreds of times. What makes Renfield different?
Well, for one thing, it takes a close look at a character who hasn’t gotten as much attention. As Rachel Ulatowski writing for The Mary Sue explains, Renfield has often appeared as a side character in Dracula adaptations. However, this new movie “marks the first time he has appeared as the lead protagonist in a film.”
Renfield has been faithfully serving as Dracula’s assistant for roughly a century. However, a newfound love for a traffic cop has him reflecting on his workplace happiness. In the original 1897 novel, Renfield’s character was an asylum patient seeking immortality by consuming bugs and birds as a way to harness their life force.
Nicolas Cage plays Dracula in ‘Renfield’
While Renfield may get the title role and the protagonist position, it wouldn’t be much of a tale without Dracula. Ulatowski describes this horror-comedy as “a modernized take on Renfield that paints him as a sympathetic character.” That dynamic is largely possible because of Nicolas Cage’s embodiment of Dracula.
Speaking with ET Canada, Cage explained that some of his inspiration for the character came from childhood memories of watching black and white vampire films with his father when he was as young as five. The actor said these movies left an “indelible impression” on him.
It wasn’t just the films his father showed him that he brought to the screen, though. Cage tried to capture some of his father’s own presence in the role. He thought his father’s strength and power would be “a pretty good model for this character.”
Nicolas Cage stayed in character for filming ‘Renfield’
Cage’s devotion to his craft is well known. It’s little surprise that he stayed in character between takes. “I enjoy the role of horror, and I like anything that stimulates my imagination,” Cage explained.
His devotion to the part included customized, 3D-printed fangs and even a permanent change to his own teeth in order to make them fit. As The Independent reports, makeup artist Christien Tinsley noticed Cage’s dedication to getting it right: “We shaved Nic’s teeth down and the dentures were fitted so as not to impede on Nic’s speech and allow full freedom.”
Early reviews of Renfield show promise, and several critics have given it a “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes so far. Nicolas Cage has gotten a lot of attention in these reviews despite not technically being the lead. As Matthew Monagle wrote for The Playlist, “In Cage’s hands, Dracula is the perfect marriage between the rock star and the jilted lover.”
