Nick froze, his hand halfway to his hair. "You want me to... act? As a spy? In real life?" He let out a laugh that started as a wheeze and ended as a primal scream. "I’ve played a chemist, a treasure hunter, and a man who stole the Declaration of Independence. This? This is just Tuesday."
But then, the CIA knocked. Or rather, they cornered Nick in a bathroom.
The lines blurred. Nick was now playing a character playing himself playing a spy. He wore a wire under a Gucci shirt that cost more than a mid-sized sedan. Every time Javi hugged him, the feedback in Nick's ear sounded like a dying whale.
In the end, there were car chases. There were golden guns. There was a moment where Nick had to jump off a cliff while reciting a monologue from The Rock . As he soared through the air, the wind whipping his perfectly manicured hair, he realized he wasn't just a movie star anymore. He was a myth.
"Nick," his agent’s voice crackled over the phone, sounding like sandpaper on silk. "The birthday party. One million dollars. All you have to do is be... you ."
"We need you to spy on him, Nick," the agent hissed. "He’s a high-stakes arms dealer."
Nick Cage didn’t just enter the room; he manifested within it, a whirlwind of leather fringe and existential dread. He was currently staring at a life-sized wax statue of himself from Face/Off , wondering if the wax version had better career prospects.