USA: PREMIERE OF "GONE IN 60 SECONDS" LATEST NICOLAS CAGE FILM

Record ID: 389456

  • Title: USA: PREMIERE OF "GONE IN 60 SECONDS" LATEST NICOLAS CAGE FILM
  • Date: 4th June 2000
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 4, 2000) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRODUCER JERRY BRUCKHEIMER SAYING "Nic's the only actor we went to. We went to Nic first. He turned us down right away. We don't take no too easily and kept going back and finally found a hook into how Nic felt he could play this character and (screenwriter) Scott (Rosenberg) wrote i
  • Embargoed: 19th June 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, USA AND VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA28GZYO69AKJREIZCZ2WJXX5C3
  • Story Text: Academy Award winners Nicholas Cage and Robert Duvall joined fellow Oscar winner and co-star Angelina Jolie and husband Billy Bob Thornton at the premiere of Jerry Bruckheimer's "Gone In 60 Seconds." While the film looks to be another summer blockbuster for Bruckheimer and Cage, most of the media's attention was focussed on the newly-weds in their first public appearance as husband and wife.
    The world premiere of "Gone in 60 Seconds" was supposed to be a celebration of the third collaboration between producer Jerry Bruckheimer's and Hollywood superstar Nicholas Cage. Instead, it proved to be a coming out party for Cage's co-star and recent Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie, who appeared in public for the first time with her recently wed husband and fellow Oscar owner Billy Bob Thornton.
    "It's like, you know what, finally," was all Thornton had to say, while his new bride managed an, "I'm so happy,"
    between smooches on the red carpet.
    "It's nice to have them out in public together," said Bruckheimer. "I'm very happy for them if they're happy," said Jolie's "60 Seconds" co-star Delroy Lindo. Co-star Giovanni Ribisi seemed to agree. "She seems really happy and I'm happy for that," said Ribisi.
    The evening also turned out to be a rare photo opportunity with Jolie's estranged father, Academy Award winner Jon Voight.
    "Gone In 60 Seconds" stars Nicholas Cage as a legendary car thief called out of retirement for one last job. He has to steal 50 cars in 24 hours or his younger brother, portrayed by Giovanni Ribisi, will be killed. Standing in his way is his old nemesis, a Los Angeles cop, played by Delroy Lindo, who wants more than anything to put Cage behind bars.
    "Gone In 60 Seconds" marks the third time producer Jerry Bruckheimer has tapped Cage to play the lead in a big-budget action flick. The formula paid off on "Con Air" and "The Rock", two movies that made Cage an action star.
    "Nic's the only actor we went to," said Bruckheimer in a recent interview with Reuters, "He turned us down right away.
    We don't take no too easily and kept going back and finally found a hook into how Nic felt he could play this character."
    According to Cage, the script just wasn't ready the first time around. "It just needed a few more passes with Scott Rosenberg so I could say 'okay, now there's something here I can act.'," said Cage, "I don't want to just be this guy driving around in a car without any story."
    Few will be surprised that Cage was chosen to play the man who has to steal 50 exotic cars. Cage is an avid collector with dozens of cars worth millions of dollars. Fans may however be surprised to discover that Cage did almost all of the stunt driving in the film himself.
    "I'm not one of those guys that is adamant about doing stunts," said Cage, "but in this case I had to do it because it had to look as real as possible."
    The result is some of the most magnificent chase scenes in recent movie history.
    Joining Cage is a powerful ensemble cast featuring Jolie, fresh off her Academy Award winning performance in "Girl Interrupted" and rising Hollywood star Giovanni Ribisi, most recently seen as the lead in the Wall Street thriller "Boiler Room".
    For Jolie, being the only woman in a big budget action film about cars wasn't the least bit intimidating.
    "Bring it on," said Jolie, "They're great guys and it was a really fun thing to do and it was a great experience.
    And, I liked her. I liked what she stood for. I liked how she loved him. I liked the kind of friend she was. I like that she was good at her job. She's tough, but really a girl. She was real girl in a garage, which I like."
    When asked about her co-stars affinity for automobiles, Jolie showed some of her now trademark dark side.
    "I'd like to steal his (Cage's) cars. I have no desire to go out and buy one or spend the time to build one (like co-star Ribisi), but I'd like to just get out in the parking lot and take both of their cars, just to do it. Yeah, I get it. I certainly get why its just really fun to get in a fast car and I love all that. I love the freedom of it."
    "Gone In 60 Seconds" opens across the United States on June 9th.
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