Photo: Screengrab
The Surfer has finally arrived. The psychological thriller starring Nicolas Cage, helmed by Vivarium director Lorcan Finnegan, is now in theaters, and the positive reviews have been rolling in. However, despite the success of his on-screen portrayal of surfing, Cage revealed in a recent interview that he’s struggled with attempting to learn the sport in real life.
It’s not the first time we’ve witnessed Cage tangling with the waves. During the film’s production in Yallingpup, Western Australia, press photographers captured the actor struggling in the surf while filming. Honestly, the moment was no different from what you’d expect of any beginner, it was just unfortunate for Cage that it happened to be filmed for the entire world to see.
However, in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, he revealed that it was far from his first time experiencing the ocean’s fury. One moment in particular stood out, during surf lessons he took in preparation for the film. “I have surfed, but every time I’ve attempted surfing, I’ve been pounded to smithereens,” Cage told the outlet. “I surfed down on Sunset Beach. When I was trying to learn, my teacher gave me a shortboard. I said, ‘Look, I want a long board.'”
Despite the fact that moving to a higher volume craft is certainly the right move on paper, Cage was still punished for his effort. “I just got pounded and literally got stuck in the rip tide, and they said they saw my board, they call it ‘tombstone,’ like that triangle top,” he said.
“I’m climbing up the leash as I’m somersaulting, and I could have died,” he added. “Now I have a young kid, I don’t know if I want to do it anymore.”
In the end, Cage said he was still undaunted by the experience, maybe even hinting at joining the ranks of surf bums in the future. “The goal,” he says, “is to retire, surf, drink red wine, and eat spaghetti.”
