There was quite a bit that was cut from cult director Richard Stanley’s new film with actor Nicolas Cage, Color Out Of Space, an adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft’s story. But in the midst of a pack of excised moments that included self-harm and explicit references to the current socio-political climate, there was one thing that wound up getting cut that’s just plain weird: a scene where Cage delivers his dialogue while doing handstands.
Yeah, that’s quite possibly one of the most Nic Cage things we’ve ever heard of, and Color Out Of Space co-star Joely Richardson was the one to break the news in a recent interview. Richardson’s recollection painted this particular picture:
There’s a scene where I’m sitting on the bed with Julian, and we’re looking at these drawings before Nic comes in and gets really angry with him. That’s the basic shape of the scene, but when Nic entered he started doing jumping jacks, handstands and doing the dialogue upside down. What’s fun is that he takes risks — he doesn’t like it when you say that!
It's easy to just peg this as a weird moment in the already outlandish life and career of Nicholas Cage. That in itself isn’t a bad thing, as the good ol' Cage charm comes from that sort of lunacy, and he always knows how to keep things exciting.
However, when thinking about Joely Richardson’s remarks about how her Color Out Of Space co-star could recite dialogue for the scene at hand while doing handstands, it eventually becomes more impressive than anything else.
As eccentric as Nicholas Cage can be, there’s no doubt the man is talented. If anyone ever needed proof, they could look at this very story from Yahoo! Entertainment and see ample proof. A true raving madman would just start spouting nonsense while doing those handstands, but a truly good actor can deliver the dialogue written on the page while achieving such physical feats.
In terms of the material that was cut from Color Out Of Space, those changes also eventually came down to discussions between Richard Stanley and the producers of the film. While Stanley wanted to modernize this H.P. Lovecraft classic to directly comment on the political landscape of today, certain restrictions were placed by the producers when it came to that vision.
Somehow the decision to cut Nicholas Cage’s dialogue on handstands wasn’t as clearly explained as the more controversial moments that Color Out Of Space would have featured. But if we were to guess, it was probably because the moment was just too weird. Which is kind of funny when talking about a film that’s somewhat successfully adapted Lovecraft’s truly unnerving brand of cosmic horror, and an actor whose weirdness is seen as a draw by most of his fans.
Color Out Of Water’s theatrical cut is in theaters now, with the home video release (which will contain these deleted moments) on February 25. As for Nicholas Cage and Richard Stanley, let’s hope the two will be able to reunite on the ultimate project that’d suit their twin streams of weirdness: The Island of Dr Moreau.
