>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW"
ALREADY IN PROGRESS. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY GUEST
TONIGHT IS AN ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR WHO HAS BEEN
IN SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES. NOW STARRING IN THE NEW FILM
"RENFIELD," PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW" NICOLAS CAGE!
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] ♪ ♪
♪ ♪ [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>> Nicolas: THANK YOU! [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>> Stephen: YES! >> Nicolas: WELL, FIRST OF ALL
IT'S REMARKABLE TO ME THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE ARE
MEETING. >> Stephen: I'VE LOOKED
FORWARD FOR A VERY LONG TIME. VERY EXCITED YOU ARE COMING ON.
>> Nicolas: AND IT'S BEEN OVER TEN YEARS SINCE I HAVE BEEN IN.
SULLIVAN THEATER WITH DAVID LETTERMAN COMING I'VE DONE SOME
AMAZING THINGS! SPILLING A COUPLE OF COATS OF
PAINT. >> Nicolas: IT'S ABSOLUTELY
BEAUTIFUL. >> Stephen: IT IS VERY
EXCITING TO HAVE YOU, NICOLAS CAGE, I AM A
NICOLAS CAGE FAN, AND THERE YOU ARE, NICOLAS CAGE RIGHT THERE.
>> Nicolas: IT'S JUST ME. IT'S BEEN ON BUT IF YOU WANT
THAT NICOLAS CAGE FEELING, YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN NICOLAS CAGE.
YOU HAVE BEEN IN SO MANY MOVIES, EVERYONE HAS THEIR FAVORITES,
OBVIOUSLY I AM A "NATIONAL TREASURE" MAN.
"RAISING ARIZONA" "LEAVING LAS VEGAS" "VALLEY GIRL."
>> Nicolas: I WAS 17 YEARS OLD.
IT'S BEEN ON MY HIGH SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND HAD A CRUSH ON YOU
AND I'M STILL A LITTLE MAD ABOUT THAT.
WHAT ARE NICK CAGE TOP FIVE NICK CAGE FILMS?
>> Nicolas: I WILL START WITH "PIG."
I LOVE "MANDY." I LOVE "BRINGING OUT THE DEAD"
MARTIN SCORSESE DIRECTED. SO I LOVED "BAD LIEUTENANT" I
LOVED A MOVIE CALLED "JOE" THAT DAVE AND GREANEY DIRECTED.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT, THERE YOU GO.
I GO FACE-OFF. >> Nicolas: I LIKE THAT ONE A
LOT. I LOVE "FACE-OFF."
>> Stephen: IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS A LOT OF FUN TO MAKE WHILE
YOU WERE MAKING IT. >> Nicolas: WHAT WAS
INTERESTING ABOUT "FACE-OFF" AND IT COULD HAVE MENTIONED
"VAMPIRE'S KISS" WHICH IS WHAT I MADE WHEN I WAS ABLE TO EXPLORE
MY ABSTRACT DREAMS WITH FILM PERFORMANCE.
I WAS PLAYING A CHARACTER LOSING HIS MIND BUT BEGINNING TO THINK
THAT HE WAS THE VAMPIRE FROM THE ORIGINAL "NOTES NOSFORATU"
MOVIE. SO I GOT TO ACT LIKE A FRENCH
FILM STAR, WHICH WAS COOL. BUT "FACE-OFF" WAS A BIG MOVIE I
MADE AT PARAMOUNT AND I WAS ABLE TO USE WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS
LITTLE "VAMPIRES KISS" MOVIE AND IT WORKED.
AND PEOPLE DIG IT. SO I WAS HAPPY WITH THOSE
RESULTS. >> Stephen: YOU MADE
HEADLINES, SOMETIMES, I THINK IT MIGHT'VE BEEN DURING COVID, YOU
SAID YOU PREFERRED THE WORD "THESPIAN" TO THE WORD "ACTOR."
AND I'M CURIOUS WHY YOU BEING IS APPEALING TO YOU?
[LAUGHTER] THAT'S WHY I SAY COLBERT.
>> Nicolas: THAT IS A GREAT THING THAT YOU BROUGHT THAT UP.
WHAT I WAS SAYING WAS OF COURSE YOU CAN CALL ME AN ACTOR.
AND BY THE WAY, I NEVER SAID DON'T CALL ME AN ACTOR, CALL ME
A THESPIAN. THAT'S WHAT CLICKBAIT DID, AND
SOMEHOW IT GOT PICKED UP BY CNN. I'M NOT SURE HOW IT GOT PICKED
UP BY CNN, SURE THAT THEY HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO REPORT
ON. BUT I SEE ACTING AS
STORYTELLING. AND WHAT IT IS IS TRYING TO GET
TO THE TRUTH OF A CHARACTER. IN THE FIRST ACTOR IN EUROPE WAS
SOMEONE CALLED THESPIS. AND HE BROKE FREE FROM THE
COURSE AND STARTED NARRATING AND TELLING A STORY TRUTHFULLY.
SO I THINK ACTING IS FINDING THE TRUTH OF A STORY.
WHAT IS INTERESTING IS ACTOR IN GREEK MEANS HYPOCRITE.
I DON'T WANT TO BE THOUGHT OF AS A HYPOCRITE.
I'M SORRY IF THAT SOUNDS PRETENTIOUS.
[LAUGHTER] [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR NEXT MOVIE, WHICH IS
EXTREMELY ENJOYABLE, THE NEW MOVIE IS CALLED "RENFIELD,"
STARRING YOU, NICHOLAS HOULT, AWKWAFINA, AND BEN SCHWARTZ.
IT'S FUNNY, IT'S HORRIFYING. YOU ARE DRACULA.
WHAT IS THE PREMISE? >> Nicolas: WELL THE PREMISE
IS A UNIQUE ONE AND IT'S A VERY GOOD WHEN I THINK, VERY RELEVANT
AND CURRENT, AND NICHOLAS HOULT PLAYS RENFIELD, AND IT'S HIS
MOVIE. >> Stephen: FOR THOSE OF YOU
WHO DON'T REMEMBER, RENFIELD -- >> Nicolas: HE WAS PLAYED BY
DWIGHT FRY BEAUTIFULLY FROM THE UNIVERSAL STUDIOS "DRACULA."
>> Stephen: HE IS LIKE A MAN SERVANT TO DRACULA.
>> Nicolas: IN THIS MOVIE RENFIELD IS THE STAR AND HE IS
TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, A CODEPENDENT
RELATIONSHIP. HE IS TRYING TO FREE HIMSELF
FROM THAT. AND DRACULA WANT TO LET HIM.
>> Stephen: WHO IS A NARCISSIST.
>> Nicolas: A SOCIOPATHIC KING OF BAIT AND SWITCH TACTIC, I'M
SURE THEY HAD A LOT OF FUN TOGETHER MAYBE 200 YEARS AGO ON
THE ROAD AS ROGUES. >> Stephen: BUT THE SPARK IS
GONE. >> Nicolas: NOW THE
RELATIONSHIP HAS TURNED SOUR. AND RENFIELD ONCE OUT TO.
AND HE REALIZES THE ERROR OF HIS WAYS.
AND I DON'T WANT TO LET HIM OUT. BECAUSE TO ME DRACULA FROM MY
VIEW, THE REASON WHY DRACULA IS SO COMPELLING AS A CHARACTER IS
STILL ABOUT THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
THIS ADDICTION TO BLOOD. WELL, YOU CAN SUPPLY THAT WITH
ALCOHOL, HEROIN, SEX, AND THAT'S A HUMAN ISSUE.
OR THIS CURSE HE HAS. ETERNAL LIFE, WHAT DOES THAT
MEAN? IT MEANS HE IS GOING TO GET HIS
HEART BROKEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN FOREVER.
SO HE IS VERY PAINED BY THAT. SO IN THIS CLIP YOU WILL SEE
LATER WHEN RENFIELD ONCE TO LEAVE, IT'S A BETRAYAL TO
DRACULA AND IS VERY HURT BY IT. >> Nicolas: BECAUSE RENFIELD
GOES INTO GROUP THERAPY. >> Nicolas: HE GOES INTO A
CODEPENDENT GROUP THERAPY. >> Stephen: HE DOES.
>> Nicolas: BUT THAT WAS THE TRICKY BALANCE, BECAUSE IT IS
ACTUALLY NOT A FUNNY SUBJECT MATTER, IT'S A SERIOUS SUBJECT
MATTER. SO WE HAD TO FIND A WAY TO PLAY
IT AND GIVE GENUINE REGARD FOR THE SERIOUS SITUATION AND TAP
DANCE AROUND IT TO FIND WHERE WE COULD MIND THE HUMOR.
>> Stephen: THE HUMOR AND THE MULTIPLE DECAPITATIONS.
IT'S A HORROR MOVIE TOO, LET'S NOT FORGET.
>> Nicolas: ONE OF MY FAVORITE TONES AND FILMMAKING IS THIS
BLEND, YOU WOULD NOT THINK THAT HORROR AND COMEDY GO SO
BEAUTIFULLY TOGETHER. BUT "AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN
LONDON" HER DELICIOUS. I WAS WATCHING IT AND I WAS LIKE
I'M LAUGHING AND I'M REALLY SCARED.
IT SLAPS YOU AROUND. I'M LIKE THIS IS GREAT
FILMMAKING. AND THAT'S THE BULL'S-EYE WE
WERE TRYING TO HIT WITH "RENFIELD."
>> Stephen: HERE IS ONE OF THE BULL'S-EYES RIGHT HERE.
JIM. ♪ ♪
>> WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE GROUP?
>> I AM THE PRINCE OF MALAYSIA. SOME CALL ME THE DARK ONE.
OTHERS THE LORD OF DEATH. HOWEVER, TO MOST I AM KNOWN
SIMPLY AS -- >> RENFIELD'S BOSS.
♪ ♪ >> I AM DRACULA.
>> OKAY, OBVIOUSLY WE ARE DEALING WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE
THAN NARCISSISM HERE. [LAUGHTER]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] >> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A
QUICK BREAK, BUT DON'T GO ANYWHERE.
WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE NICOLAS CAGE, EVERYBODY!