When it comes to Nicolas Cage, the word normal has never been part of the conversation. The Oscar-winning actor has built a reputation for his eccentric performances and even more bizarre off-screen persona—so much so that, for some, he’s better known as a walking meme than as one of Hollywood’s most fearless actors. Those who have worked with him can attest to his unpredictable nature, including actor Joel Kinnaman, who had a front-row seat to the madness while filming Sympathy for the Devil in 2023.
Kinnaman, best known for The Suicide Squad, starred opposite Cage in the thriller, playing David Chamberlain, a man whose night takes a terrifying turn when a mysterious and unhinged passenger (Cage) hijacks his car—on the same night his wife is set to give birth. With most of the movie unfolding inside that car, Kinnaman spent a lot of time getting to know Cage, and it didn’t take long for things to get weird.
“I knocked on his door, and when he opened it, he had pink hair,” Kinnaman recalled in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. For context, Cage’s character in the film doesn’t have pink hair—this was entirely a personal choice. But the surprises didn’t stop there. “He was like, ‘My wildcat fucking ran away for the third time,’” Kinnaman continued. Then came the house tour, during which Cage casually introduced him to his reptile manager.
Anyone even vaguely familiar with Cage knows about his fascination with exotic animals. Over the years, his home has been something of a personal zoo, housing everything from a crow and an octopus to snakes and—apparently—a wildcat with a habit of escaping. He even once owned a two-headed king cobra but had to donate it to a zoo when the two heads wouldn’t stop fighting over food. Just another day in the life of Nicolas Cage.
Once the initial shock of meeting him wore off, Kinnaman discovered another side of the actor—the meticulous professional. “We went down to the basement to rehearse for the first time, and … he’d already spent countless hours working on the script to the point where he knew it by heart,” Kinnaman said. “He’s a singular artist, and that’s why I pinched myself when I got to spend a month in a car with him, just soaking up his genius and lunacy.”
Cage’s role as The Passenger in Sympathy for the Devil is among his most unhinged performances—which is saying a lot. The character is a sadistic, theatrical force of chaos, elevating what might have been a straightforward thriller into something unforgettable. While Kinnaman does well as the grounded counterbalance, there’s no mistaking whose movie this is—this is a Cage film through and through.
Director Werner Herzog once compared Cage to a jazz musician, a fitting description for an artist whose unpredictability is part of his brilliance. Jazz isn’t for everyone, but for those who get it, there’s nothing else like it. After a month in the passenger seat of Cage’s world, Kinnaman walked away with a newfound appreciation for Hollywood’s most electrifying lunatic.
