Nicolas Cage talks up nutritional value of bugs but won't eat one again: 'I've learned to move on from that'

Renfield star Nicolas Cage may be enthusiastic about the nutritional value of insects, but the Oscar-winning actor claims his days of consuming them are over.

In the just-released Renfield, Cage plays Count Dracula. His titular assistant, played by Nicholas Hoult, acquires superhuman strength when he eats insects. During EW's edition of Around the Table with the stars of Renfield, Hoult explained that he consumed real insects while shooting the film.

"The best thing we ate were the crickets," said Hoult. "The crickets were like smoky bacon flavor and salt and vinegar. I love salt and vinegar, so I was happy about eating the crickets. You would occasionally get little bits stuck in your teeth. But, then, the props team were amazing, they made caramel cockroaches for me, so I got to eat those, which were delicious. Also, the worms were just gummy worms in crushed-up Oreos to make it look like dirt."

Cage, meanwhile, sounded genuinely evangelical about the benefits of insect consumption.

"If we could get over our phobia of eating insects you could solve world starvation," said the Face/Off star. "It's high protein, no fat, extreme nutrients, and they're just abundant, they're everywhere. But, no, we're not going to do that!"

Cage famously ate a couple of cockroaches for the 1988 film Vampire's Kiss but did not indulge in such onscreen snacking for Renfield. He also resisted picking anything from the tray of insects provided for the occasion by EW. "I've learned to move on from that," said the actor.

Renfield is now screening in cinemas. Watch the film's trailer below.

Renfield is in theaters now. Watch EW's full Around the Table episode with the Renfield cast and filmmakers above.

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