Nicolas Cage stars in ‘The Surfer’.
Opening in theaters on May 2nd is the new psychological thriller ‘The Surfer’, which was directed by Lorcan Finnegan (‘Nocebo’) and stars Oscar winner Nicolas Cage (‘Leaving Las Vegas’) and Julian McMahon (‘Fantastic Four’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with the legendary Nicolas Cage about his work on ‘The Surfer’, his first reaction to the screenplay, his approach to his complicated character, and working with director Lorcan Finnegan on set.
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Nicolas Cage stars in ‘The Surfer’. Photo: Saturn Films.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of this character that you were excited to explore on screen?
Nicolas Cage: The first response I had when I read the script was, I love the title, ‘The Surfer’. I just love the idea of playing a surfer, any surfer. But second, when I read the script, I thought, this is not like anything I’ve read before. This is weird. This is unusual. This is the kind of story I aspire to write. If I were a writer, I would want to write something like this. So, I knew then that it would be genuine and an honest expression from me, if I played the part. A mantra of mine is that if you scratched the surface of anybody, man or woman long enough, you would eventually reach the inner caveman element. You see the character being scratched, you see the onion layer is getting peeled off and what happens ultimately happens. Then the relevance of the human condition, that we think we can fix things with a house, or we think we can fix things by getting back to our childhood memory or trying to reclaim that memory. I can fix my relationship with my ex-wife, or I can fix my relationship with my teenage son if I just work hard enough and get this house and it’s of course, misguided and ill-advised and it doesn’t work. That’s a story I think people can relate to.
Nicolas Cage stars in ‘The Surfer’. Photo: Saturn Films.
MF: Your character is basically having a mental breakdown throughout the movie. As an actor, is it physically or emotionally draining to go to those places on screen?
NC: Well, you know, what’s interesting is the short answer is no. It’s not emotionally and physically draining. I’ll tell you why, because I’m working with people I like, and I like this director as a person, and I like him as a filmmaker. I like Julian (McMahon) as a person. I like him as an actor, and it goes all the way down the line. I like being with these folks and I enjoyed the location, it was a gorgeous location. I mean, baby humpback whales were pounding the water with their big white flippers. So, I felt comfortable enough to explore what I wanted to get to. In terms of what was horrific and what was uncomfortable, it’s all up here. I mean, I have that tucked away in my mind and without boring you to as how I access it, I can get there. It’s easier to get there if you have people that you like working for.
Director Lorcan Finnegan on the set of ‘The Surfer’. Photo: Saturn Films.
MF: Finally, what did you like about working with Lorcan Finnegan and what is he like to collaborate with as a director on set?
NC: I mean it sounds so trite, but first, he’s a nice guy and that’s important. Second, and part of why I think he’s a singular director is that he’s hilarious. When I was doing the scene with the phone, and it’s not attached, the phone cord is dangling. I was like, “I need the prop phone.” Lorcan would find it and say, “It’s for you,” and he handed it to me. I couldn’t stop laughing. That kind of wit that kind of timing is in his work. It’s in his movies. So, he’s a director that like David Lynch is not afraid to take you right into the depths of chaos and horror yet infuse it with that which is comedic. I love that balance. That mix is delicious in my view. I love it.
“Don’t live here, don’t surf here.”
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A man returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. When he is humiliated by a group of locals, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps… Read the Plot
What is the plot of ‘The Surfer’?
A man (Nicolas Cage) returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. When he is humiliated by a group of locals, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising and pushes him to his breaking point.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Surfer’?
(L to R) Julian McMahon and Nicolas Cage star in ‘The Surfer’. Photo: Saturn Films.