Nicolas Cage's best movies have allowed him to work alongside some of the greatest actors in the business. Sean Penn. Meryl Streep. Willem Dafoe. Holly Hunter. John Malkovich. Nicole Kidman. Ed Harris. Tilda Swinton. He even worked alongside Cher as she was delivering her Oscar-winning turn in 1987’s Moonstruck. The man has collaborated with generational performers… but if you were to ask him, none of them earn the title of “best actor he’s ever worked with.” Instead, that title instead apparently belongs to up-and-comer Isla Johnston.
Cage just recently had the opportunity to work with the English actress in the making of the new Jesus-centric horror movie The Carpenter’s Son, and he heaped praise upon his co-star in an interview with EW. And just in case you perhaps think that he momentarily forgot that he has worked with some of the most talented actors alive, he name-dropped his Adaptation co-star in his statement.
Listen, I can't think of a better actor that I've ever worked with, and I include Meryl Streep in that group.
For what it’s worth, the role that Johnston plays in the new film is pretty intense. Written and directed by Lotfy Nathan, The Carpenter’s Son sees Nicolas Cage play Joseph, the father of Jesus Christ, and Johnston plays the role of Satan. Her previous credits include The Queen’s Gambit (in which she played Anya Taylor Joy’s character in childhood flashbacks) and the 2021 Apple TV+ series Invasion.
Nicolas Cage sees big things for her in her future, and he even cited some of her upcoming work that he is personally excited for: it has been reported that she will play the lead in director Baz Luhrman’s developing film Jehanne d’Arc. Discussing what is so special about working with Isla Johnston, he added,
I think that she's going to be one of the most luminary stars in cinema. I know she's playing Joan of Arc, which is perfect… She has that thousand-yard stare in her eyes that looks like she's looking right through you and into the epicenter of your creation and your DNA. [Laughs.] I mean, it's wild.
Curious to see what Nicholas Cage saw in the talents of his young co-star? The Carpenter's Son – which also stars Noah Jupe and FKA Twigs – was given a theatrical release in November, but it is now available to rent and/or purchase from all major online retailers. And while we wait to see what Isla Johnston will do in the role of Joan of Arc, Cage has a bunch of upcoming movies in the pipeline, including the streaming series Spider-Noir, but also the Lord of War sequel Lords of War, and the biopic about NFL legend John Madden.
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