|
If there’s anyone who might be self-aware of the phrase “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” it would be actor Nicolas Cage. While promoting his upcoming film, where the actor plays a fictionalized version of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Cage hosted an Ask Me Anything on Reddit. One of the questions came from the username BennieWilliams asking him if there were other inspirations behind his character in Kick-Ass as Big Daddy aside from the 1960s TV Batman star in the late Adam West.
“I would give it all to Adam West,” Cage said. “I grew up watching him on the ’60s Batman show, and he is where it begins and where it ends as Big Daddy. I met Adam West once, and I said, ‘Did you see I was channeling you?’ and he said, ‘I saw you TRY to channel me!'” Big Daddy was clad in almost the exact same suit as Batman in all black with a yellow utility belt with his hero’s initials as the buckle. While not as advanced in gadgets as the Caped Crusader, Cage’s character amassed artillery similar to the Punisher. Inspired by the hero Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Big Daddy and his equally trained and just-as-lethal daughter Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) take out bad guys with ruthless and brutal efficiency.
The Cage character and West’s are polar opposites as BD indiscriminately had no qualms killing mobsters, and other criminals, whereas ’60s Batman reflected the far more campy values of the time with just hand-to-hand combat, over-the-top comic effects, and abilities of deduction. The only thing both had in common was the mannerisms and dad jokes. Sadly, Big Daddy succumbed to his wounds near the end of the 2010 Matthew Vaughn film. Lionsgate’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which also stars Pedro Pascal, Sharon Hogan, Tiffany Haddish, and Neil Patrick Harris, comes to theaters on April 15th.
About Tom Chang
I’m a follower of pop culture from gaming, comics, sci-fi, fantasy, film, and TV for over 30 years. I grew up reading magazines like Starlog, Mad, and Fangoria. As a writer for over 10 years, Star Wars was the first sci-fi franchise I fell in love with. I’m a nerd-of-all-trades.
Latest by Tom Chang
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent star Nicolas Cage revealed ’60s Batman star Adam West wasn’t a fan of his impression in Kick-Ass.
Dual star Beulah Koale spoke with Bleeding Cool about CBS’s Hawaii Five-0 reboot and Junior Reigns’ future on Magnum P.I. or a spinoff.
Disney+’s series spinoff of National Treasure welcomes a familiar face back into the fold with Justin Bartha returning as Riley Poole.
When director Tom Gormican pitched The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent to star Nicolas Cage, he had doubts, but eventually won him over.
Director Riley Stearns talks to Bleeding Cool about his latest sci-fi comedy, breaking down Karen Gillan’s roles, casting, and filmmaking.
Star Trek: Picard star Sir Patrick Stewart discusses putting more of himself into Jean-Luc by accepting him as his own & the S03 TNG reunion.
Latest in Movies
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent star Nicolas Cage revealed ’60s Batman star Adam West wasn’t a fan of his impression in Kick-Ass.
Would you like to win a Redbox code for the upcoming film Chariot? All you need is a Twitter account to take part in this giveaway.
When director Tom Gormican pitched The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent to star Nicolas Cage, he had doubts, but eventually won him over.
A cool new storyboard book is up on Kickstarter right now, and Godzilla and Kong fans will want to check it out.
The marketing for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness continues. Marvel is starting to push this one, and we are finding out that they will be
Popular store chain Spirit Halloween is the subject of a new family horror/adventure film coming soon, and it sounds neat.