Interview: Renfield’s Chris McKay on Nic Cage’s prosthetics – and the chances of a Lego Dracula movie

He made his name with the hilarious animated antics of The Lego Batman Movie, but now director Chris McKay has turned to live action for his latest release, Renfield (in cinemas this Friday, 14 April).

And he’s turned to classic horror for the film’s inspiration, a comedy re-working of the relationship between Count Dracula and his long-suffering manservant. In the film, the two have travelled through time to present day New Orleans where, as well as tending to his evil master’s every need, Renfield also attends a therapy group where he pours out his heart about working for the worst boss in the world. In a piece of inspired casting, Nicolas Cage is the Prince Of Darkness, while his servant is played by Nicholas Hoult.

READ OUR RENFIELD REVIEW

In this interview, Chris McKay explains how he used the tone and energy of animation to make a live action film, and describes how Cage – “a real trooper” – spent four hours in the make-up chair every morning while making the film. And he also thinks there’s a good chance of a Lego Dracula movie sometime in the future – or even a Lego Monsters movie!

Renfield is in UK cinemas from 14 April 2023.

About the Author

Freda Cooper

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Freda is a Senior Writer at The People's Movies. A lifelong movie fan and a film critic for over ten years, Freda’s natural habitat is the darkened rooms frequented by fellow cineastes. She can also be found asking questions of some of the biggest names in the business – from Cate Blanchett to Daniel Craig or Mike Leigh to Pete Docter – or crafting reviews for a number of sites and publications, including The People’s Movies. And listeners to BBC Local Radio can catch her views on the latest releases. She always – and probably always will – cite The Third Man as her favourite film of all time. Her top ten? That’s a moveable feast …..

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