Description
Book SynopsisAn in-depth look at one of the film industry''s most audacious working actorsIn 1982, a gangly teenager named Nicolas Coppola made his film debut and changed his name to Nicolas Cage, determined to distance himself from his famous family. Once he achieved stardom as the rebel hunk of 1983''s Valley Girl, Cage began a career defined by unorthodox risks and left turns that put him at odds with the stars of the Brat Pack era. How Coppola Became Cage takes readers behind the scenes of the beloved cult movies that transformed this unknown actor into an eccentric and uncompromising screen icon with a wild-eyed gift for portraying weirdos, outsiders, criminals-and even a romantic capable of seducing Cher. Author Zach Schonfeld traces Cage''s rise through the world of independent cinema and chronicles the stories behind his career-making early performances, from the method masochism of Birdy to the operatic torment of Moonstruck and abrasive expressionism of Vampire''s Kiss, culminating with t
Trade ReviewDelightful. * The Wall Street Journal *
A must-read for both Cage obsessives and agnostics: this is a fascinating, consistently bizarre, thoroughly entertaining early-years portrait of a true Hollywood original. * Empire, 5* *
Thorough, considered and entertainingly written. * James Mottram, Total Film, 4* *
Zach Schonfeld's compulsively readable, well-researched book on Nicolas Cage, How Coppola Became Cage, gets to the heart of the unique, multitalented actor. * PopMatters *
A lively, anecdote-filled look into the actor's shape-shifting, storied career. Even the most ardent Cage fans will learn something new. * Publishers Weekly *
Fascinating details and entertaining provocative backstories make this an important, captivating read for Cage fans and cinephiles alike. * Library Journal *
I learned so much from Zach's deep, deep dive into Cage's foundational years and how he came to be the experimental Hollywood A-lister we know today. Zach's thoroughness is remarkable. * Lindsay Gibb, author of National Treasure: Nicolas Cage *
Before Nicolas Cage was a national treasure, he was Nicky Coppola, an eccentric young actor trying to break out from the long shadow of his family name. In this thorough look at Cage's seldom documented early years, Zach Schonfeld draws on original interviews with siblings, classmates, and colleagues to chronicle his journey from high school theater kid to Valley Girl heartthrob to household name. A must read for Cage fans. * Dan Ozzi, author of SELLOUT *
Charting an authoritative middle path between scholar and superfan, Schonfeld breaks down the life and works of a beguiling figure with a careful balance of critical rigor and curious open-mindedness. His writing is exhaustively researched and inexhaustibly entertaining, as singularly committed to its project as Cage himself. * Charles Bramesco, author of Colors of Film: The Story of Cinema in 50 Palettes *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One: From Coppola to Cage Chapter Two: Punk Romeo Chapter Three: Pulling Teeth Chapter Four: Uncle Francis Chapter Five: Baby Fever Chapter Six: A Nick at the Opera Chapter Seven: Kiss Me Deadly Chapter Eight: Cage and the Curious Case of the Big Rubber Nose Chapter Nine: Goofing on Elvis Chapter Ten: The Sunshine Trilogy Chapter Eleven: Drunk in Love Epilogue Index
