“Renfield” has not yet debuted but star Nicolas Cage is already thinking about the chance to revisit it one day. After receiving the Variety Legend & Groundbreaker Award at Miami Film Festival earlier this month, the actor opened up about how he’d like to explore the bloodsucker even deeper.
“This is the perfect amount of time for Dracula in this movie. But I wouldn’t mind exploring how did Dracula become Dracula? How did you become that guy? I want to take the time to portray that, to see how he got there,” Cage explained during the panel when asked about a role he’d like to revisit. “To me, Dracula was always [about] love and exile. He’s unrequited love, and ultimately, if you don’t get love back, you’re gonna go bad. I want to look at that.”
“Renfield,” directed by Chris McKay, is an “entirely different version” of Dracula. Led by Nicolas Hoult, Cage’s supporting character is a narcissistic boss.
Nicolas Cage as Dracula in “Renfield”
Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
“They’re selling it like the boss from hell. This is about a toxic relationship between Renfield and Dracula. Usually when you see Renfield in the movies, he’s portrayed in a sort of a grotesque manner. Nick is a very charming, handsome, elegant, funny and witty actor. So this is a unique take,” Cage explained.
Oscar-nominated Christian Tinsley worked as the makeup artist on the film, and is someone Cage can’t help but extend great gratitude to.
“I had the ceramic teeth in my mouth the whole time. I was trying to speak with some some level of eloquence when it’s hard to form any words at all, but I had a lot of help — a great costume department, great makeup artists. We all sort of powwowed and coalesced this character together,” he said. “I looked at some what’s been done before and done well and sort of cherry picked what I liked about the Dracula’s that have worked. Then, I tried to break through that and find something new to do with what I learned.”
“Renfield” has its world premiere on March 30 at the Overlook Film Festival before being released in theaters April 14.
