Nicolas Cage seems to be embracing the wide-reaching jokes about some of his less-than-nuanced performances.
During an interview with Variety to promote his new movie Mom and Dad alongside director Brian Taylor and co-stars Selma Blair and Anne Winters at the Toronto International Film Festival, Cage shot down a question about going overboard in certain scenes by explaining that he sets the bar for exaggerated performances.
“You show me where the top is, and I’ll let you know whether I’m over it or not, all right,” he told the interviewer. “I design where the top is.”
The Oscar winner went on to explain why he doesn’t like to describe his craft as “acting” in classic Cage style. “[Taylor] knows how spiritual acting is for me,” he said. “I don’t even like the word acting anymore because it implies lying in some way. I don’t act. I feel and I imagine and I channel.”
Watch the full clip below.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com