UR TV CAST

Except for the sweating, I say.”Yeah,” murmurs Kaufman, “I am sweating, it’s hot in here.” I nod, though the room is as cold as a fridge.Jonze to Kaufman (concerned): “You’re sweating?” Jonze to me (amazed): “Did you just point at him and say, ‘You’re sweating’?” Cage (protective): “I don’t see any sweat.” Me (sweating): “I said ‘the sweating!’” Jonze (contentedly): “I see.”Kaufman (firmly): “I do sweat I don’t always sweat But I do sweat now. You know, some actresses are great at crying.” Cage (clearing his throat): “You see, we didn’t want…” Jonze: “He told me once, ‘I can make myself sweat. I just open my pores…’”The laughter stops, and Cage gets to say his piece “We didn’t want it to be about obesity either We were very careful about how much weight he should carry. So you could relate on some level.”I don’t think to ask why we couldn’t relate to a really fat man. I note, instead, that it was Charlie’s baldness that made him most vulnerable, this oval patch among his frizzy orange curls Cage chuckles.

“Well, I have this French poodle, which is this apricot colour, and there’s some hair loss, around the coat. Charlie’s hair sort of reminded me of that.” “Apricot?” says Jonze doubtfully. “Yeah, apricot-coloured,” says Cage, suddenly looking very much the younger brother, eager to be affirmed.I note that in Britain ginger-haired people are very sensitive to slights Cage’s face falls. “I don’t think that was anybody’s intention,” he says gravely.Jonze grins.

“I think of the hair as more strawberry blonde, or even warmish brown.” Kaufman nods: “Golden brown.” Cage (sadly): “You wouldn’t say it was sort of apricot?”I say I agree with Cage and Jonze chuckles: “Now you’re going to get us in trouble with all the ginger-haired people!” The PR pops her head round the door. Cage, having checked his watch, buries his head in his hands.One more question. What was the most stressful scene to write, direct and act in? Jonze (cheery): “Start with the writing, maybe.” Kaufman (cross): “No! Don’t start with me. I have to think about it! I don’t know what the answer is immediately.”Cage, perking up, says it was the scene in New York where he has to play a furious Charlie, convinced that his brother has “embarrassed” him with Orlean. And then, just after, switch to Donald, singing “Happy Together”.”We really worked ourselves into frenzy over that one,” agrees Jonze “It’s like being a light switch,” continues Cage. “It’s like it’s New Year’s Eve, and you’re not feeling so hot about yourself, or the new year, and someone says, ‘OK! It’s midnight! Be happy!’”I notice that Kaufman is watching Cage, fascinated.

I ask him if he ever wonders if this whole “thing” – being nominated for an Oscar, having Cage play him in a movie – might be a dream. And that any moment now he’s going to wake up and be told: “This script is unusable! It’s narcissistic twaddle!”"Yeah,” Kaufman says, with a sigh “I don’t know what’s real And what’s not real. So I guess it’s certainly possible that this isn’t real.”And with this, Cage leaps to his feet, shakes my hand and strides off, saying: “I’ve just got to go…” Kaufman and Jonze have a stretch.”I hope that wasn’t too bad,” says Jonze. I say it was intimidating at first, having to interview all three of them “I’ve never thought of it that way,” says Kaufman.