Was Never Paid ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ Fee
The actor agreed with what the film’s writer-director Mike Figgis about their still unpaid salaries for the film that made their careers.
At the SXSW earlier this week, Nicolas Cage agreed with his writer-director of Las Vegas that he was never paid for the movie that won him his best actor Oscar.
Cage, who was in Austin promoting his latest movie, Arcadian, spoke about the unpaid bill with Business Insider, telling the website’s reporter that it it’s likely he was never paid for the Mike Figgis’ 1995 drama for which he won the best actor Oscar, which ushered in a successful second act of his career.
My Oscar Book:
After the 1995 Oscar win, he commanded large salaries for his work on multiple action blockbusters, including Con Air, Face/Off and The Rock.
Figgis revealed that he never received his $100,000 fee for directing the drama, which centers on Cage’s suicidal writer as he moves to the titular city and begins a romance with a sex worker (Elizabeth Shue).
“They said the film never went into profit,” the director revealed of the film’s studio, Lumiere Pictures, which financed the $4 million movie. Figgis used handheld 16mm cameras on the low budget production and often shot in the streets of the city without permits — so in one take. Both he and Cage have acknowledged this impacted the performances positively.
Leaving Las Vegas grossed $32 million worldwide.
