Nicolas Cage, renowned for his intense and often daring film roles, faces a real-life threat behind the scenes of his latest movie, “The Surfer.” The thriller, released recently in theaters, places Cage as a central figure in a suspenseful scenario involving surfing—a sport he admits has nearly cost him his life.
Despite Cage’s adventurous filmography, including risky roles like Ghost Rider’s Johnny Blaze, the actor disclosed to Entertainment Weekly that his surfing scenes for “The Surfer” were unexpectedly perilous. Although Cage had previous surfing experiences, he confessed that each attempt had left him physically battered, recounting particularly intense experiences while filming in Australia:
“I have surfed, but every time I’ve attempted surfing, I’ve been pounded to smithereens,” Cage explained. “When learning at Sunset Beach, my instructor insisted on a shortboard, but I knew I needed something longer.”
Cage detailed one particularly alarming incident where he became trapped in a dangerous rip tide:
“I got pounded and stuck in the rip tide. My board was vertical, which surfers ominously call ‘tombstoning.’ I was desperately climbing the leash, tumbling underwater, and I genuinely thought it was the end. Now, with a young child, I’m reconsidering such risky roles.”
Despite these intense challenges, Cage remains committed to delivering compelling performances but has expressed a desire to choose roles that resonate with his personal life and family. Fans can experience Cage’s dramatic intensity in “The Surfer,” now playing in theaters.