Nicolas Cage starred in 2007’s Ghost Rider, which attracted some poor reviews but earned enough for a second movie.
To rejuvenate the character Crank directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have been brought in to add their thrill-ride skills and inject some life into the follow-up, which is seen as being as much a reboot as it is a sequel – meaning that it will appeal a fan base beyond those who saw the first film.
Cage explained how this film moves on from the plot of the first: “He’s eight years living with the curse, the Ghost Rider, so his energy is different, his state of mind is different.
“He’s much more sarcastic, like a cop or a paramedic who’s seen a lot of horrific things, and has had to develop a dark sense of humour to cope with it.”
He added: “He doesn’t want to step out for fear of hurting people, and in this movie also I get to play the Ghost Rider as well, so that was a new experience entirely for me.
“I would have to do things, like change the way I would walk when I was on set, or put black contacts in my eyes, or Afro-Caribbean voodoo paint on my face – I looked a bit like a voodoo icon skull. I wouldn’t talk to anybody, so that I would see horror or fear in my co-stars’ eyes while I was working with them and that would inspire to believe I was this character.”
Cage continued: “Ghost Rider inherently is a horror character. That means people want to see something edgier or darker, something that hopefully will give them nightmares, and Mark and Brian [the directors] really wanted that too.”
The actor went on to describe the appeal of a character who is “absurd”, yet a “complicated, philosophical superhero”. The new film is in 3D, so is he a fan of the format?
Cage responded: “I’m a fan of anything that gives film-making another tool to paint with, and anything that opens it up a little bit. So do I think all movies should be 3D? Absolutely not. Do I think it’s fun to see them every now and then? Yes.”
He said of the medium from which Ghost Rider emerged: “I think comic books are wonderful for children.
“I think they’re contemporary myths, just like fairytales were, or Norse mythology or Greek mythology. Comic books are an original American invention that have somehow touched the world, and children have that imagination where if they’re going through any type of hardship or something, comic books provide an escape, and they also stimulate them to read, so I try to always have some around for my family.”
- Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is out in cinemas this weekend.
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