Nicolas Cage Enters His Dream Scenario

After working in Hollywood for almost half a century, Nicolas Cage can count on one hand the projects that he considers his personal favorites. “I’ve made over 100 movies, and Dream Scenario is one of my five favorite scripts I’ve read in 45 years of doing this,” he tells W’s editor at large, Lynn Hirschberg. “The other four are Vampire’s Kiss, Leaving Las Vegas, Adaptation, and Raising Arizona. I didn’t want to change a word in any of those.” In Dream Scenario, Cage’s character unwittingly becomes a worldwide celebrity after he starts appearing in everyone’s subconscious and soon discovers that fame is a fickle beast that he can neither control nor fully enjoy. The film is a commentary on the capricious nature of pop culture and celebrity, a topic Cage knows well, having attained cult status with early roles like 1983’s Valley Girl, and later the National Treasure franchise. “I loved erasing so-called Nic Cage for Dream Scenario,” he says.

In the film, your character, Paul Matthews, appears in other people’s dreams. Do you remember your dreams?

I remember the good ones. I try to block out the bad dreams. Sometimes I will not know how to play a scene, and I’ll go to bed, have a dream, and wake up in the morning knowing how to play the scene. In that way, dreams can be like gifts.

Were you a theatrical child?

At Beverly Hills High, I was in Oklahoma!. Lenny Kravitz was playing the drums in the orchestra. I was poor Jud Fry—it was a great part. In high school, I was auditioning. It was Martha Coolidge who cast me in Valley Girl. Without Martha Coolidge, so-called Nicolas Cage would not exist. She gave me the confidence and empowered me to go forth.

Growing up, who was your cinematic crush?

Barbara Eden, from I Dream of Jeannie. I wanted to be in the bottle with her and play cards or…something.

What was your first red carpet look?

I don’t remember, but I do remember I was dressed in a Brooks Brothers tuxedo for the Academy Awards on the night I won Best Actor for Leaving Las Vegas. I wasn’t totally comfortable wearing tuxedos at that point in my life. I try to find clothing that matches my expression in filmmaking—I can be either maximalist or minimalist. I found a snakeskin jacket at a store called Aaardvark’s, on Melrose, and then went to rehearsals for Wild at Heart. I said to David Lynch, “I want to wear this snakeskin jacket.” David calls me Nickster. When we were in Cannes with Wild at Heart, the president’s wife demanded that I sing “Love Me Tender” to her in front of everybody at a long table. David said, “Nickster, you get up there right now on that table, and you sing that song!” So I jumped up. I was so nervous. But David got the Palme d’Or for Wild at Heart. I like to think that my fractured singing helped him win the award.

Do you ever get starstruck?

I was once at an oyster house in Austin, Texas, and Robert Plant walked in. He looked terrific. He looked like he did in the ’70s. He had a burgundy metallic suit on, and I wanted to say hi, and I found that my words didn't form.

Senior Style Editor: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Senior Fashion Market Editor and Menswear Director: Jenna Wojciechowski. Grooming by Pamela Ward; manicures for portfolio by Michelle Saunders for Chanel. Set design by Peter Klein at Frank Reps.

Produced by Connect the Dots; Executive Producer: Wes Olson; Producer: Zack Higginbottom; Production manager: Nicole Morra; Production coordinator: David Cahill; First photography assistant: Trevor Pikhart; Second photography assistant: Jeremy Eric Sinclair; Digital Technician: Brendan Pattengale; Postproduction by Lucas Rios Palazesi at Quickfix; Fashion assistants: Tori López, Tyler VanVranken, Molly Cody, India Reed, John Celaya, Kaamilah Thomas, Emily Cancelosi, Allie Kessler, Juliana Bassi, Karla Garcia, Jacqueline Chen, Cosima Croquet; Production assistants: Mateo Calvo, Aspen Miller, Nico Robledo, Griffin Koerner, Danielle Rouleau, Nicolo Battaglini, Juanes Montoya, Juan Calvo, Lily Cordingley, Nathan Gallie, Cameron Hoge, Jack Fahey, Cole Ewing, Karlie Ofstedahl; Hair assistants: Takao Hayashi, Andres Copeland; Makeup assistants: Amelia Berger, Willie Huang; Manicure assistants: Rachel Messick, Marissa Asprer; Set assistants: Christopher Crash Richard, Winston Willingham; Tailors: Irina Tshartaryan, Elma Click, Gayane Mnatsakanyan at Susie’s Custom Designs, Inc.