If you needed another reminder that Nicolas Cage is a truly committed actor, we think we’ve found one. In a bit of breaking news that hasn’t surprised a soul, Nicolas Cage has seemingly gone to great lengths to embody the iconic character of Dracula in his upcoming horror-comedy Renfield.
Following the film’s title character, Renfield, the story centers around Dracula’s disgruntled assistant as he tries to break free from the Count’s evil grasp. Renfield is portrayed by the talented Nicholas Hoult, while Dracula himself is being brought back to life by Nicolas Cage.
When speaking to Variety about what it took to make Nicolas Cage Dracula, makeup artist Christien Tinsely spoke to Nicolas Cage’s commitment to the role — even going so far as to let his teeth be shaved down in order to fit his vampiric veneers.
“We shaved Nic’s teeth down and the dentures were fitted so as not to impede on Nic’s speech and allow full freedom. Nic wanted to emote and annunciate properly, so it was important the veneers were thin.”
Did anyone expect less out of the guy? Nicolas Cage going full “Nicolas Cage” during a role has been what’s helped the Hollywood legend sustain his career for over 40 years. He’s Nic freaken’ Cage after all, committing is kind of his thing.
Tinsley would go on to discuss how Dracula’s signature smile was brought to life, and why 3D printing became the obvious solution, especially when production needed to make adjustments on the fly.
“This was the first film that I know of where we used 3D printing to do all the dentures. We jumped in headfirst with 3D printing. We would scan Nic’s teeth and digitally sculpt them.”
Utilizing 3D printed techniques meant that being afraid of teeth breaking or props failing was a non-issue, allowing the cast and crew to work freely in creating a truly terrifying cinematic world.
“That allowed us to make them as thin as possible because if they broke, we could have another set ready to go.”
We love the idea that Nicolas Cage had an entire collage of vampire teeth, and that it only took a moment to pop those bad boys in and become Dracula for the day.
With an April 14 release date, fans of horror, Nicolas Cage, and 3D printed effects will be able to see the film pretty darn soon. Until then, we’ll still be here digesting the fact that Nicolas Cage is playing DRACULA.
