If there’s one thing Nicolas Cage is known for—besides his legendary intensity—it’s his ability to slip into almost any role, no matter how bizarre, without ever truly disappearing. Whether he’s playing a down-on-his-luck alcoholic, a treasure-hunting historian, or a maniac screaming about bees, it’s always unmistakably Cage. His acting style isn’t just a technique—it’s an entire genre unto itself.
Cage has done it all. He started in the teen sex-comedy circuit with Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), moved into offbeat dramas like Raising Arizona (1987), and then stunned critics with his Oscar-winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas (1995). He almost became Superman in a failed adaptation, but decades later, DC finally gave him his due with a surreal cameo as the Kryptonian in The Flash (2024). And, of course, no one will ever forget the unhinged brilliance of The Wicker Man (2006)—especially that infamous not the bees! scene.
His career is a library of contradictions, filled with masterpieces and misfires alike. He’s headlined major franchises like National Treasure and voiced a prehistoric father in The Croods. He’s also taken wild risks on indie films, such as the hallucinatory Mandy (2018), which flopped at the box office but became an instant cult classic.
But what about action movies? Cage has starred in his fair share, but when asked to pick his favorite, he had an answer ready. During a Reddit AMA, he revealed:
“Thank you. Face/Off is my favorite action movie, largely because we had the maestro John Woo to direct. The process was a matter of getting video of Travolta’s dailies and trying to study it so I could copy his voice and movements. John Travolta conversely did the same with my dailies.”
Of course, Cage being Cage, he was right at home on Reddit. Unlike many Hollywood stars who treat AMAs like press junkets, he was refreshingly candid, discussing everything from Face/Off to bees to his fascination with the ocean. He even laughed at fans’ jokes about the film, proving that he, too, embraces the absurdity of his own legend.
Face/Off (which may be getting a sequel) remains one of Cage’s most unique action films, featuring him and John Travolta swapping identities via sci-fi facial reconstruction. It wouldn’t be the last time he played dual roles—he later portrayed twin screenwriters in Adaptation (2002), a performance that further cemented his reputation as one of Hollywood’s strangest, yet most compelling, actors.
Nicolas Cage may not be a chameleon—he doesn’t disappear into characters so much as he forces them into his own chaotic orbit. But whether he’s chasing bad guys, fighting animatronic monsters, or philosophizing about jellyfish on Reddit, one thing’s for sure: there will never be another Nicolas Cage. And, honestly, one is probably enough.
