Nicolas Cage revealed that Adam West, who played Batman in the 1966 television show, once poked fun at his performance of Big Daddy in the 2010 film Kick-Ass.
"I would give it all to Adam West," Cage wrote in a Reddit AMA, responding to a question on whether West's Batman inspired his character. "I grew up watching him on the '60s Batman show and he is where it begins and where it ends as Big Daddy. I met Adam West once and I said 'did you see I was channeling you?' and he said 'I saw you TRY to channel me!'"
West was renowned for playing both Bruce Wayne and Batman with a straight face amid the zany tone that the 1966 Batman television series embraced. West's performance would go on to be the defining representation of the Caped Crusader on screen until Michael Keaton presented a decidedly darker version of the character in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. West continued to be a presence in Batman media even after his relatively bright version of the Dark Knight became a novelty among fans, notably as the voice of the Grey Ghost in Batman: The Animated Series and the voice of Thomas Wayne in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Cage's version of Big Daddy departed from John Romita Jr.'s illustrations in the original Kick-Ass comic books, and featured the character wearing a black suit, a cape and a cowl with ears resembling Batman's. Cage's interpretation of Big Daddy, a disgraced former cop who trains his daughter Mindy to be an assassin, leaned heavily into West's confident yet mildly silly performance as Batman.
In a 2020 interview, Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn said that Cage had come up with the idea of channeling West's voice into his performance: "I wasn't sure about it, and then he did it and I thought it was brilliant. When he put on that costume, I can't tell you how happy he was...he had an enthusiasm which is vital on a film set," said Vaughn. "There are days where you're so exhausted that you really rely on the enthusiasm, otherwise you end up with a flat film."
Aside from addressing Kick-Ass, Cage's AMA also touched upon his role as Johnny Blaze aka Ghost Rider. When asked whether he'd ever reprise the role, the legendary actor said that it all depended on Marvel Studios' plans. "I would really need to see what they had in mind before answering that," said Cage.
Source: Reddit
