Cage had repeatedly gone on document, describing his performing model as “nouveau shamanism.” In interviews, Cage has stated that he derived his model — or not less than thought to outline it — after what he learn in a pair of books written by psychologist Brian Bates. In “The Means of Wyrd,” a medieval monk treks outdoors of the cities to transform the “heathens,” solely to be taught their shamanistic methods. Bates’ 1988 guide, “The Means of the Actor,” posited that actors had been trendy shamans, as they convey a up to date model of “intuitive knowledge,” channeling fictional beings via themselves. 

That is all, by Cage’s personal admission, a bit highfalutin, however “nouveau shamanism” is a cool-sounding time period that he prefers. It is also, one may instantly see, fairly removed from Stanislavski’s precise Technique, in addition to the frequent false impression of the Technique. 

Beforehand, in reference to Cage taking part in Dracula, Chris McKay was quoted as saying:

“No matter scene we did he would nonetheless be 100% residing in that angle after we stopped taking pictures. […] So if he is a bit frosty within the scene he will have a bit little bit of that between takes. However nonetheless up for no matter we had been doing.”

Cage, nevertheless, chimed in to rebut throughout a pink carpet interview earlier than “Renfield,” saying: 

“I simply haven’t got that recollection, I do not know why Chris stated that. […] I had a variety of laughs in between takes with each Chris McKay and Nick Hoult, so perhaps that was his expertise, perhaps as a result of I nonetheless had the fangs in my mouth that made me converse a sure manner, however that wasn’t my expertise.”