Nicolas Cage spent 8 hours in makeup to become Dracula in Renfield

Clark Collis
Updated ·2 min read
1

For much of the horror-comedy Renfield, Nicolas Cage is immediately recognizable in the role of Count Dracula. But for a spell in the Chris McKay-directed film, Cage's vampire is badly injured, and disfigured, which required long sessions in the makeup chair for the actor so that he could appear onscreen with a dramatically altered appearance.

Renfield
Renfield

Michele K. Short / Universal Pictures Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult in 'Renfield'

"I have to give all the credit to Chris McKay and Christian Tinsley (Renfield makeup department head)," says Cage, talking about the film during EW's Around the Table with the cast. "There were, I think, four different looks. But the first look was eight hours in the chair, it was literally 20 pounds of makeup, the body as well as the face. But I always wanted to have that experience because I'm such a fan of Lon Chaney Sr. and what he did. The good news for me on that was they still managed to let the eyes communicate. I remember talking with Chris McKay about it. It was like, I just want to make sure the emotion still comes through, so maybe don't do the contacts so much, so that even though I'm under all this, you still feel the emotional content, which John Hurt did so beautifully in The Elephant Man."

Renfield
Renfield

Michele K. Short / Universal Pictures Nicolas Cage in 'Renfield'

Set in modern-day New Orleans, Renfield — in theaters April 14 — stars Nicholas Hoult as the titular, and long-suffering, servant of Dracula who attends an abusive-relationship support group.

"Renfield is about a co-dependent relationship with a boss from hell, as played by Nicolas Cage," says McKay, who directed 2017's The Lego Batman Movie and 2021's The Tomorrow War. "It's the story of a guy who has to stand up to his boss and take his power back."

Ryan Ridley wrote the screenplay for Renfield, based on a story from Robert Kirkman, the writer of The Walking Dead zombie comic and an executive producer on AMC's TV adaptation and its spin-offs. The film's cast also includes Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz.

Watch the full Around the Table video above.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content: