Nicolas Cage underwent a “brutal” physical transformation to portray NFL legend John Madden. The 62-year-old actor revealed that he gained 25 pounds to play the former Oakland Raiders head coach. He also used prosthetics to complete his transformation, describing the “hybrid approach” as the “sweet spot.”
Nicolas Cage shares his weight gain journey for John Madden role
The Oscar-winning actor discussed his transformation with PEOPLE at the Los Angeles premiere of Madden on November 4. Cage said, “I just enjoyed my pasta and my sourdough bread, which I don’t normally do.” He added, “I mean, it’s pretty brutal. Two premier protein shakes and one meal a day. It’s usually a Caesar salad. But with that, I got to enjoy the pasta, and then I added — look, I’m 62, so I’m not going to gain 60 pounds. That’s dangerous.”
“But I added the other 30 with [prosthetics],” he continued. Cage worked with Adrien Morot, the prosthetics and makeup artist who helped transform Brendan Fraser for The Whale. “It was the same approach, a hybrid approach,” Cage explained. He described the combination as the “sweet spot” for the role.
Cage admitted that losing the weight afterward was challenging and required regular exercise. “A lot of days in the gym on the elliptical. I still do it. I’m always on the elliptical for a couple of hours a day.”
Cage stars alongside Christian Bale, who plays former Raiders owner Al Davis. Davis died in 2011 at age 82. Directed and co-written by David O. Russell, the film also stars Kathryn Hahn as Madden’s wife, Virginia Fields, and Sienna Miller as Davis’ wife, Carol Sagal. The biopic opens in select theaters on November 11, 2026, before streaming globally on Prime Video on November 18.
