Nicolas Cage Brought A Bit Of His Own Magic To The Sorcerer's Apprentice
If you told me that there was a famous actor who was secretly an all-powerful wizard, Nicolas Cage would be my first and only guess as to who you were referring to. This made him the perfect star for 2010's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." In the film, Nicolas Cage is a wizard living in modern-day Manhattan (once again, plausible for Cage) who takes a reluctant physics student, played by Jay Baruchel, under his wing as his apprentice. The title of the film gets most of that across.
As he always does, Cage brought his signature manic movement and energy to the character. Co-star Jay Baruchel remarked in an interview that Cage "has such a unique, distinct presence."
As often happens when you bring such a passionate star into a film, many of Cage's suggestions as to how the character would look and operate made it to the final cut of the film.
Using your hands
In the film, Cage's Balthazar Blake character uses a lot of hand movements when he utilizes his magical abilities. Cage brings the sort of gusto to all of these gestures usually reserved for a middle finger on the highway. This was all of the actor's design, according to an interview he did with RadioFree.com.
"I remember early on, we were talking about Balthazar wearing these two bracelets, and that whenever he made magic, he'd put the two bracelets together, kind of like Sinbad pulling his belt, and then things would magically happen. But I really felt that it was important that my character use his hands like a conductor — like magic is coming out of the hands."
And with a few smart adaptations by the movie's costume designer, Michael Kaplan, Cage's vision of Balthazar was born, hands waving up a storm.
Bringing the energy
The production of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" was not without its setbacks, including potentially deadly ones, but the film lived up to its billing as a spiritual successor to Disney's "Fantasia." Nicolas Cage is perhaps the most wizard-like man on the planet, and for a man who swears that he never phones in a single role, a major motion picture like this from a major brand was sure to receive the full Nicolas Cage treatment.
So, prospective film-makers, no matter what sort of project you're working on, consider hiring one Nicolas Cage to be in your movie. He'll do just about anything, if the price is right, and absolutely never phone it in for even a second. And how could he, when the man's acting style is reminiscent of the human embodiment of cocaine? Nicolas Cage brings ideas and energy to any production, and is one of this great nation's national treasures.