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When I learned thatDavid Lynch had died, I thought of fire.
The dancing flames that fill the screen when Isabella Rossellini commands Kyle MacLachlan to hit her inBlue Velvet.
The burning shack that hauntsLost Highway.
It seemed surreal beyond comprehension.
Why else would he have agreed to speak about it?
Cage, she said, had already been cast when she came onboard.
Wait, I clarified.
You just talked to David Lynch yesterday?
Lynch knows about my book?
Could I try reaching out to him myself?
Nonetheless, I found an address for Lynchs transcendental-meditation foundation and mailed off a polite letter.
I wrote an email to the foundation, too.
To my surprise, Lynchs assistant replied the same day.
I was pleasantly stunned.
I realized that he funneled all the darkness and brutality into the art instead.
Until this past month, I never gave up hope.
Theres only one person that could be that person and that was Nick.
I dont know why that is.
You know, Zach has gotta play Zach.
Was it because of a performance he had given in a previous movie?
I never had second thoughts, any doubts.
Nick is just that person, and he just did a flawless, perfect job.
I think it was on Beverly.
But down the way, theres a very famous theater that was burning down.
The Pan-Pacific Auditorium?Yeah, thats the one.
When did you have the idea for Nick to sing Elvis songs in the movie?
What is the connection of Elvis toWild at Heartin your mind?Okay, so, Nick is Elvis.
And Laura is Marilyn Monroe, with bubble gum.
And he got hooked up with people that had worked with Elvis.
Not the original Scotty and Bill.
I cant remember who it was but really top, top players.
They went into a studio with Nick and Nick knocked it out of the park.
I mean, the guy was channeling Elvis!
Was Nick intimidated by the idea of singing these Elvis tunes?No!
Thats another thing you have to put in your book.
And a great, great actor.
And he understands the human condition.
The Wizard of Oz.The Wizard of Oz!The Wizard of Ozstarted creeping into it also.
Just the idea that they both lovedThe Wizard of Ozand it meant something to each of them.
Tell me about the snakeskin jacket.
Thats probably absolutely true.
This is also extremely important extremelyimportant to Sailor.
He was always up for those kinds of things.
I asked him if he could sing opera.
And I think he sang opera.
Why was that scene cut?It just didnt fit in the thing.
Its one of these ideas that came along ideas come along all the time.
But they dont necessarily fit into what youre working on at the moment.
So they go off to the side.
Wild at Heartis obviously a very dark movie.
But it also has a very liberated depiction of sex.
There are these intense sex scenes.
What emotion were you going for with the sex scenes in the movie?Joyful.
Joyful and hot would be two words.
What was it like to choreograph those scenes with Nick and Laura?It was fantastic.
We used this box for colors.
I cant remember the name of this thing we got this from [Elephant Mancinematographer] Freddie Francis.
And Fred Elmes, we used this [box].
It does sort of the same thing as pre-flashing the film.
It lets you see into shadows.
I mean, some parts of themarethose people.
Whats something about the film that you think most people miss?Well, I dont know.
Thats the beauty of it and the horror of it both.
You made this particular film at a time when you were quite prolific in your career.
And you made it very quickly.
Was that inspiring?It was all inspired from Barrys book.
I wrote the screenplay in two weeks and then did a rewrite right after that in two weeks.
And we were out filming.
I saw this as a love story in hell.
They respect each other.
And theyre deeply in love.
At that time, the world, I thought, was crazy.
But its gotten even worse since then.
Ive noticed that a lot of critics have drawn connections between the violence inWild at Heartand theL.A.
riotsthat happened a few years later.That had nothing to do with it in my mind.
Except in a violent world!
In a world which started getting crazier and crazier.
Were you reluctant to cut some of the violence fromWild at Heart?
Based on the early audience reactions …Well, no, I mean, I had to.
There wouldnt have been anybody in the theater.
Audiences obviously reacted with fear or disgust to that level of violence …Disgust is what it was.
I was fine with [removing] that.
It didnt need to go there.
Youonce describedCage as the jazz musician of actors.
What did you mean by that?The thing is, he can riff on a thing.
He can get into it and keep going!
He can keep going!
Theres an improvisational element to it.Because hes turned into the character.
What do you feel wasWild at Hearts long-term effect on the trajectory of your career?
Did it change things for you?
And it had to do with the craziness in the world.
And a certain attitude in the craziness.
The time was right for that film.
Barrys book, and this film it was a timely thing.
You did work with Nicolas Cage again on theIndustrial Symphony No.
1short film.Well, that was at the end ofWild at Heart.
So I had the two lovers breaking up.
Thats what theIndustrial Symphony No.
You never worked with Nicolas Cage again on a feature film afterWild at Heart.Not because I wouldnt want to!
It just wasnt right for some reason.
And it never happened.
But it could happen tomorrow!
That would be very exciting!I would love to work with Nick again, are you kidding?
I think hes one of the all-time greats.
And for sure he is.
In your mind, what makes Nick different from other actors of his generation?He stands alone.
And he stands tall.
