Nicolas Cage’s powerful ‘pig’ performance was inspired by his cat

Nicolas Cage says it wasn’t difficult to get into his character’s state of mind in “Pig”.

Cage has already received rave reviews for his portrayal of a former chef who becomes distraught after the theft of his beloved truffle pig – the titular animal and sets out to find the responsible.

And her cat deserves some credit.

“I had bad dreams before about what I would do if I lost Merlin, my cat,” Cage said in a lengthy interview with GQ about the film. “I had nightmares. And I said that to Michael [Sarnoski], director. I said I already had it in my psyche, in my imagination, in my emotions. I know how to play this role without acting.

The star has previously spoken of her deep appreciation for felines, telling HuffPost in 2019 that cats were her favorite animal.

“I’ve always loved cats,” he said at the time. “I have always had relationships with cats from a young age. They were my best friends.

In the GQ interview, he became poetic about the “deep relationship” he had with both Merlin and his late German Shepherd, Walker.

“Because there are no rumors aimed at people to corrupt the relationship, like jealousy or undercutting,” he said. “It’s all unconditional love and it’s very close and it’s very loving and palpable.”

He also spoke of his companion crow, Huginn, who flies in a “16ft geodesic dome” and which Cage describes as “very intelligent”.

As for his pig co-star, Brandy, he said he “enjoyed working with her” and noted that she was primarily interested in “paying” for her work, which is food.

“If they need a very moving look in his eyes, off camera you can show him some carrot,” he said.

The premise of “Pig,” as well as the trailer, initially sparked laughter and skepticism. But the film, and Cage’s emotional performance in particular, received serious praise from critics. The Washington Post called it a film “of enormous beauty and depth”, while the AV Club hailed it as “so much richer and stranger” than it looked.