There are little clues right here and there that trace at Longlegs character — he is obsessive about glam rock, as an example. These tidbits allow Cage to construct a personality that continues to be intentionally enigmatic. Past that, Cage appears to be having a whole lot of enjoyable right here, particularly with how extreme the character could be. Longlegs just isn’t a quiet man. After his preliminary introduction, utilizing a infantile, sing-songy voice, the character is extra liable to loud outbursts. He screams, he shrieks, he giggles. And sure, it is a bit over-the-top.
However that is a part of the enjoyable. There are one million alternative ways Cage may’ve performed the character, nevertheless it’s value noting that the actor is working precisely with what he is given. “I do not write scripts and be like, ‘Oh, it is sort of going to be like this. We’ll determine it out later. Nic, simply make all of it up. I belief you,'” Perkins informed Deadline. “Every thing is written, so every part that Nicolas Cage says as Longlegs is written within the script when he will get it.” Perkins clearly did not need one thing refined for this character. The director added: “And Nic is simply as professional because it will get … He is extraordinarily clever and so fast. He would not miss something. And so, it is like utilizing a extremely sharp knife to chop one thing. You thank your good luck that you’ve such an unbelievable collaborator, and also you simply begin constructing the factor.”
As a personality, Longlegs is supposed to disturb and confound. A giant theme of the film is that the primary character, FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), cannot determine how Longlegs is doing what he is doing: inspiring fathers to kill their total households earlier than dying by suicide. The thriller of Longlegs and his methods is what makes the character scary to start with. We could chuckle at how Cage handles the function, nevertheless it’s uneasy laughter. I noticed the movie in a sold-out theater, and I may really feel the discomfort within the room as Cage screamed “MOMMY!! DADDY!!!” on the high of his lungs whereas driving a automobile at full pace.
Scary outbursts like this are irregular, and that abnormality is a part of what makes the efficiency so memorable. It is also the kind of efficiency solely Cage can ship — are you able to truthfully image anybody else on this function? As Roger Ebert put it, Cage is crawling out on a limb, sawing it off and remaining suspended in air. Nonetheless, I’ve little doubt some will see this as little greater than one other meme-worthy function from Cage; one thing to snicker at. However I believe Cage is aware of precisely what he is doing right here. Like Nicolas Cage, Longlegs appears to like his job, and he is having enjoyable doing it.
