Paddington 2 Director Paul King Hasn't Seen The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent [Exclusive]
Before "Wonka" became a box office hit, director Paul King had already carved out plenty of success with the critically acclaimed "Paddington" movies. Based on the beloved series of children's books, "Paddington" and "Paddington 2" are full of delightful, family-friendly humor and big beating hearts that push a wealth of kindness into the world (and they also politely take down British colonialism and xenophobia). While "Paddington" stands with a stellar 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, "Paddington 2" somehow managed to surpass the original and currently sits with a 99% critical rating. That love for the charming sequel was so overwhelming that it seeped into an unlikely project: a Nicolas Cage movie.
"The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" finds the "Face/Off" and "Con-Air" star playing an exaggerated version of himself, where he's hired to attend the birthday party of wealthy fan Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal). But the gig turns into a covert CIA mission when Cage is recruited to help the government agency determine whether this guy has kidnapped a young woman. It's Nicolas Cage playing himself, trying to pull off a secret mission, while dealing with the uncertainty of whether this fan is actually an underground criminal. Making the situation all the more complicated is that this fan is actually a pretty cool dude, and he's a massive Nicolas Cage fan, so the two strike up a wonderful friendship.
Deepening that friendship is a screening of "Paddington 2," which Javi reveals is one of his favorite movies of all time. Cage doesn't buy it, which prompts him to give the movie a shot and eventually changeg his perspective entirely. You might think Paul King would gleefully have seen this movie and smiled ear-to-ear at this surprising reference. But the filmmaker has actively been avoiding the movie because of the "Paddington 2" reference.
'I feel that I would just be watching it to go on some kind of weird ego trip'
Leading up to the home media release of "Wonka," which hit 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on February 27, I spoke with director Paul King about all things Wonka, but I couldn't help but ask about his reaction to the "Paddington 2" love in the Nicolas Cage movie. And I was surprised to learn that King hasn't yet seen the movie, despite being well-aware of how much respect is thrown at his sequel. King said:
"I haven't [seen it], because I'm aware that it mentions "Paddington," and I feel that I would just be watching it to go on some kind of weird ego trip. But I would actually like to see the movie, because I love Nicolas Cage, and I love Pedro Pascal. The only reason I haven't watched it is I'm aware it mentions "Paddington" [laughs], which is the most messed up thinking you can have. But there you go."
I implored King to watch the movie, not only because of the "Paddington 2" praise, but also because it's a really fun movie for Cage and Pascal fans. It sounds like he might take the plunge at some point. "I will watch it, but I'll have to do it late at night on the TV with the windows shut because I'll be cringing with embarrassment," he said.
Kudos to King for being humble enough not to seek it out simply because of how kind it is to "Paddington 2." But if there's an entertaining movie out there starring Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal where their characters gush about how much they love a movie that you made, then maybe you just bite the bullet and let your ego get a nice boost. After all, Pascal and Cage both genuinely love "Paddington 2," and I'm sure King would love to reciprocate by watching and enjoying their movie.