Nicolas Cage is beyond Method acting. In a move that’s out-gothed every Hot Topic mall rat and maybe even Edgar Allan Poe, Cage — who stars as Dracula in the upcoming drama Renfield — owns a spiteful pet crow that insults him. “He has taken to calling me names … It’s comical. At least it is to me,” Cage said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “When I leave the room he’ll say, ‘Bye,” and then go, ‘Ass.’ Crows are very intelligent. And I like their appearance, the Edgar Allan Poe aspect. I like the goth element. I am a goth.”
And, no, it’s not a phase. Cage purchased the crow, whose name is Huginn, inspired by one of the Norse god Odin’s ravens, in 2020. Inside Cage’s Las Vegas residence, Huginn lives in a geodesic dome that’s probably larger and more lush than most NYC apartments. The crow joined a stampede of other exotic animals Cage has kept as pets including a crocodile, a shark, a two-headed snake, and a reportedly $150,000 pet octopus.
Between Cage’s vampiric tendencies and that viral photo featuring a man from the 1870s with an uncanny resemblance to the actor, Cage already had to settle the rumors with David Letterman in 2012. “I don’t drink blood, and the last time I looked in the mirror, I had a reflection,” Cage told the late-night host. For those who are still skeptical, you can evaluate Cage’s propensity for glittering in sunlight when Renfield is released in 2023.
