National Treasure

Nicolas Cage—who draws inspiration from Elvis, superhero Luke Cage, Edgar Allen Poe, and others—has an unmistakable dramatic style that has garnered a cult following. Dan Piepenbring joins web editor Violet Lucca to analyze Cage’s “neo-shamanic” acting, how he stands apart from other actors who revel in bigness (aka hams), and how he has used the press to cultivate eccentricity and has made himself into something more interesting than, yet inseparable from, the characters he plays. Their discussion stretches across Cage’s massive filmography, from David Lynch’s Wild at Heart to Nick Powell’s Outcast, a direct-to-streaming release.Read Piepenbring’s review: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit harpersmagazine.substack.com