The Unknown Story Behind Nicolas Cage's Longleg Appearance
You could be wondering why Longlegs' Nicolas Cage's character seems so... unusual. Director Oz Perkins has leaked the information even though the movie doesn't offer us a straight answer. Let's explore the ideas guiding Longlegs' eerie, clown-like look.
Longlegs' Appearance: A Shabby Birthday Clown
Longlegs is meant to be disturbing, thus the movie employs a lot of deft techniques to give him both human and supernatural appearance. See how hardly we ever see his full face. His pale complexion and red lipstick accentuate the otherworldly quality, and his prosthetic nose gives him even more eerie look. Still, Longlegs' appearance is really inspired by something far more familiar.
Longlegs was intended, according to Oz Perkins, as a "shabby birthday clown, birthday performer type" – the kind of character you might find at a child's party. Perkins, though, wanted Longlegs to be anything from typical. He pictured a clown who had "a bad run in their stocking," a clown who had veered somewhat off course.
Trickster Archetype
Long legs suit the traditional trickster archetype. Though he seems innocent—even playful at times—his actual character is far from benign. Attaching gullible victims with gifts or enticing them into his plans, he is drawn to In the opening scenes, the movie deftly depicts this when Longlegs approaches a young Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) when her mother isn't looking and presents her a gift and sings a spooky birthday song.
The Inspired Work of Nicolas Cage
It's fascinating that Nicolas Cage portrayed Longlegs from his own early memories. He apparently "harvested a lot of memory of his Mom" since she "did a lot of things to freak him out." This realization clarifies how Cage gave the character a special mix of sensitivity and dark force. Perkins wanted to show Longlegs as someone with a human side yet also as a strong, almost Wizard of Oz-like character.
Comparatively to Heath Ledger's Joker
Comparisons to Heath Ledger's legendary portrayal as the Joker in The Dark Knight have come from Nicolas Cage's way of depicting Longlegs. Though their motives and appearances are quite different, both characters have a clown-like quality. It is difficult to see them as anything else though both performers totally inhabit their roles. Both of them perfectly depict the core of the clown archetype: a mix of disturbing charm, mischief, and craziness.
Longlegs' look is ultimately a mix of eerie aesthetic decisions, ideas from actual party clowns, and expertly performed Nicolas Cage and Oz Perkins. It's evidence of the filmmakers' capacity for producing a quite disturbing and unforgettable character. It reminds us that something quite horrible can arise from even the most everyday objects, including a party clown.
