Movies News

Nicolas Cage inspired by cobras for Ghost Rider

Feb 15, 2012, 10:01 GMT

Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage's performance in 'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence' was inspired by hypnotising cobras.

The actor returns as stunt biker Johnny Blaze and his flaming skulled alter-ego in the superhero sequel and he remembered the movements of the venomous snakes he once kept as pets when deciding how to bring his occult character to life on the big screen.

Speaking at a press conference for the Marvel movie, he said: 'At one point in my neighbourhood I had a couple of them (cobras). Then the neighbours didn't like it so I gave them to a zoo. But I would study these cobras and what they would do is move back and forth in a rhythmic motion and on the back of the snake was the pattern of an eye, like an occult eye, and it would try to hypnotise me and when it felt it had hypnotised me, it would strike. So I thought, 'Why doesn't the Ghost Rider move like that, with that sort of hypnotic, rhythmic motion?' '

Venomous snaked weren't the only thing that inspired Cage on set, He also got an idea for Ghost Rider to levitate before attacking from a Trent Reznor video.

The 48-year-old star added: 'There was something I saw in a Trent Reznor video, where he was levitating and revolving in circles, so I said, 'Why don't we have the Ghost Rider levitate and revolve in circles.' We called it 'the compass' where he would find his next victim and then attack. So a lot of thought went into it and a lot of imagination and improvisation.'

Idris Elba and Christopher Lambert also star in the film, which is released worlwide this month.