A few new tidbits in this interview with the uk's The Daily Record! I would love to see Nic and Tim Burton collaboration..it seems to me their sensibilities would be an awesome synergy!

Nicolas Cage is back on two wheels in comic book sequel – despite wife's bike ban

Feb 12 2012 Exclusive by John Millar, Sunday Mail

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Hollywood wildman Nicolas Cage might have worried about what his wife Alice would think of his return to his daredevil role as hell’s biker Ghost Rider.

The 48-year-old Oscar winner climbed into his leathers again for the comic book hero’s big-screen sequel Spirit Of Vengeance.

But, even though his missus has banned him from bikes off screen, she gave him a pass to rev up for his role as Johnny Blaze, a stunt rider who has done a deal with the Devil.

In fact, Cage revealed that Alice was a big fan of the Yamaha V-Max he rides in the movie.

He said: “She thought it was a very sexy motorcycle and wanted to have a go on it.”

Cage insists he always felt perfectly safe on the high-speed Yamaha.

He said: “I could go impossibly fast on that motorcycle and tell it to stop safely and it would. I totally trusted it and I never got hurt.”

Although he’s a proficient biker, Cage is only allowed the fun of a burn-up when he is making movies.

He said: “I’m legally unable to ride motorcycles – it’s a contract I have with my life insurance. So if I get a chance to do a movie and ride a bike, I go for it.”

Although Cage was accident-free during the making of Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, he has not always been so lucky.

The star revealed he has been concussed twice while filming but refuses to tell which movies the accidents happened on.

Cage said: “It’s funny because in American football they say if you get two concussions in six months, you’re out of the game.

“I did have two concussions in six months on two movies with the same company but I won’t mention which it was. Thankfully, I’m OK.”

In the Ghost Rider sequel, Cage – who has been a fan of the Marvel Comics character since he was a kid – got an extra kick while filming on location in Romania. He got to tackle Ghost Rider, the supernatural figure into which Johnny Blaze is transformed.

In the original movie, that part was played by a series of stuntmen whose faces were replaced by the iconic flaming skull.

So when it was decided that Cage would handle both the roles of Johnny and Ghost Rider, the actor had a devil of a good time with his preparation.

Although the vigilante’s head was created by digital wizardry, Cage decided to use elaborate make-up to get into the mood for his screen tussle with Auld Nick, who is played by Irish actor Ciaran Hinds.

Cage said: “I’d paint my face with black and white make-up and put black contact lenses in my eyes so it looked like a skull.”

Memories of pet snakes came in handy when he started putting together the character’s jerky, edgy body language.

Cage said: “At one point, I had a couple of cobras but the neighbours didn’t like them so I gave them to a zoo.

“But I would study how these cobras move back and forth in a rhythmic motion. So I thought, why doesn’t Ghost Rider move like that, with a sort of hypnotic, rhythmic motion?”

That wasn’t nearly the end of his incredible dedication to the role. The actor spiced things up quite a bit to help get under the skin of the supernatural character.

He said: “I would sew some ancient Egyptian artifacts into my costume and get some rocks that had alleged frequencies to who knows where.

“But it stimulated my imagination to think I really was this character. I would walk on the set projecting this aura of horror and I’d see amazement in the eyes of my co-stars.”

Just when you’re starting to think he is in danger of taking things to the extreme, Cage reminds you that, while he’s very serious about his craft, he also has a sense of fun about all this play-acting.

He said: “If you are shooting until 2am, then you go to a party in Romania and schnapps is involved and you’re still in character, all hell can break loose – and it did.

“I am lucky I’m not in a Romanian prison.”

The effort Cage puts into giving his screen characters flesh and blood isn’t surprising when you consider that one of his earliest movie influences was Lon Chaney, the silent film star whose dedication earned him the nickname “the man of a thousand faces”.

Cage said: “What scared me as a child was Chaney as Phantom of the Opera. I would see promotions for it on TV and the mask would come off and it just freaked me out. Of course, now I love Chaney for scaring me like that.”

Cage’s versatility has been illustrated in films such as the gritty Leaving Las Vegas, which earned him an Oscar, comic book romp Kick-Ass, romantic comedy Moonstruck, blockbusters Con Air and The Rock and historical adventure Season Of The Witch.

He also has the reputation as a huge comic book fan and collector.

Even though he named his five-year-old son Kal-El – Superman’s name as a baby – Cage is adamant that he doesn’t regret not getting to portray the Man of Steel on the big screen.

At one time it seemed Cage was going to team up with Batman director Tim Burton on a production of Superman Lives but it never got off the ground.

Cage said: “The only regret I have is not having the chance to work with Tim.

“I hope someday we will work together – it would be special.”

■Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance is out Friday.

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