Renfield stars Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, and Ben Schwartz had a fang-tastic time making Dracula horror-comedy

"It's so intimidating, sitting next to you, staring at me."

Partway through EW's Around the Table with the cast and creators of the horror-comedy Renfield, producer Robert Kirkman interrupts with that admission to the movie's megastar, Nicolas Cage, while actors Nicholas Hoult and Ben Schwartz and director Chris McKay look on.

"Because I played your Dracula, that's why!" declares Cage.

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

Set in modern-day New Orleans, Renfield — in theaters now — stars Hoult as the titular character, the long-suffering servant of Count Dracula, who is indeed portrayed by the Con Air and Ghost Rider star. Desperate to be free of his vampire master, Renfield attends an abusive-relationship support group, which explains why today's five Around the Table participants are sitting in a semi-circle of chairs and wearing name tags.

"Renfield is about a co-dependent relationship with a boss from hell, as played by Nicolas Cage," explains 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."

The screenplay for Renfield is by Ryan Ridley, based on a story from Kirkman, the writer of The Walking Dead zombie comic and an executive producer on AMC's TV adaptation and its spin-offs.

"I wanted to find a new way into a Dracula story," says Kirkman. "Looking at it through the lens of Renfield I think gave it a real human touch that was a cool angle to explore."

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

"In this story, it's kind of 100 years on from when their relationship originated," says Hoult, recently seen in The Menu and and Emmy nominee for the Hulu comedy series The Great. "What becomes of that man after years of servitude, and looking after Dracula, and breaking down himself in order to keep his master happy?"

This is Cage's second entry in the bloodsucker genre after 1988's Vampire's Kiss. The actor was attracted to the project because he wanted to make something in the same vein as John Landis' 1981 horror-comedy classic An American Werewolf in London.

"What I loved about this version of the Renfield-Dracula relationship is that it's a combination of horror and comedy, which is one of my favorite tones to hit," he says. "I remember when I would see American Werewolf in London, the Landis picture, in the cinema, that fantastic feeling I had where I didn't know when I was laughing if it was okay to laugh, and then I'm screaming, I'm laughing again — it really kind of slapped you around. That's a tone that director Chris McKay and I were trying to go for with Nick Hoult. We were finding this balance, and it's a fine balance to hit, but thankfully Chris really kept us on point."

Michele K. Short / Universal Pictures Ben Schwartz in 'Renfield'

Parks and Recreation alum Schwartz portrays a local gangster named Tedward Lobo, whose criminal activities are thwarted by Hoult.

"I play the son of a very big crime syndicate [boss]," says the actor. "Basically, everything in his life he does to impress his friends, and his mommy, and that includes killing people, and doing an outrageous amount of cocaine, and then trying to take over the city, which is interrupted by Nick Hoult's Renfield. But he's not a good person."

When Tedward first encounters Dracula, the undead count almost strangles the mobster to death. What is it like going to work knowing you'll spend the day with Nicolas Cage's hands around your throat?

"A joy, an absolute joy!" says Schwartz. "And we can make this the headline of the article. 'An absolute joy to be strangled by Nick Cage.' It's so fun, because he's dressed as Dracula, and Nick goes 110 percent into whatever role he is, so it was so little acting and just responding to what's in front of you. We had this incredible set design, and we have Nick dressed up as Dracula, and the menace, but also in that scene we got to play with all sorts of stuff, push the comedy a little bit, push the fear a little bit. But it's so fun to be in a practical world, and play with practical things, and given the breadth to find new moments within the script. It was awesome."

Michele K. Short/Universal Pictures Awkwafina in 'Renfield'

The cast of Renfield also includes Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Awkwafina.

"Awkwafina plays Rebecca, she's a police officer whose father was killed by the Lobo family," says McKay. "She's the person that inspires Renfield to stand up because she doesn't take s--- from anybody."

Early in the film, Dracula is badly injured and disfigured, requiring Renfield to hunt for victims on which his master can feed and, in real life, Cage to sit for hours in the makeup chair.

"I have to give all the credit to Chris McKay and [makeup department head] Christian Tinsley," says Cage. "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 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."

Michele K. Short / Universal Pictures Director Chris McKay and Nicolas Cage on the set of 'Renfield'

Hoult's character gains super-strength when he eats bugs — and the actor ingested some insects for real during the shoot.

"The best thing we ate were the crickets," he says. "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."

Cage famously ate a couple of cockroaches for Vampire's Kiss but did not indulge in such snacking this time around. As it happens, EW has brought a tray of dead insects to today's get-together. Before Cage leaves, does the actor care to sample one?

"I do not," says the Oscar winner. "I've learned to move on from that. Ben's going to go for it," he continues, indicating his costar.

"If Nick Cage is not going to eat a bug then I'm not going to eat a bug," says Schwartz. "Whatever Nick Cage doesn't do, I will not do."

"It's a good way to live your life," says Cage. "What would Nick do?"

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

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