Nicolas Cage’s turn as Count Dracula in Renfield, flying into theaters April 14 from Universal, isn’t the first time the actor has sunk his teeth into exploring the undead.
Thirty-four years ago, he starred in the indie flick Vampire’s Kiss as Peter Loew, a New York literary agent convinced that his lover Rachel (Jennifer Beals) has transformed him into a vampire. Director Robert Bierman’s feature initially had Dennis Quaid attached as the lead until he dropped out to shoot Innerspace. The film’s team remembers Cage calling repeatedly to pitch himself.
“We just didn’t see Nicolas in the part,” producer Barbara Zitwer admits to THR. Ultimately, Cage landed the gig and continued to surprise with his acting choices, including his insistence that Peter eat a live cockroach instead of a raw egg yolk as scripted. “I had a complete breakdown,” Zitwer says about learning that Cage wanted to ingest the insect.
As the actor explained to THR in 1995, “I told them I wanted to eat a cockroach and they said, ‘Forget it.’ ” Luckily, the film’s doctor was confident that the star wouldn’t get sick, provided he swig some booze afterward. Zitwer also recounts that Cage was “extremely unhappy” about the production using a mechanical bat instead of a live animal, and even went so far as to send his assistant “to Central Park one night with a water cooler and a broom to try and catch bats.”
Still, Cage’s commitment was undeniable. “When he was in that suit and tie, even between takes, he was Peter Loew, always,” recalls producer Barry Shils. And Beals says of working with Cage, “Every day was amazing because you didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Hemdale Film Corp. released the film on June 2, 1989, and THR‘s review praised Cage’s “manic energy.” Although Vampire’s Kiss flopped, it became a cult favorite through home video and HBO.
Zitwer cherishes a voicemail Cage left her after an early screening: “I won’t ever forget this message — ‘Seeing the film validated my decision to become an actor.’ That meant the world to me.”
This story first appeared in the April 12 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.