Nicolas Cage's costar explains his unusual on-set behavior: 'I can't say that I've met' him
Cage goes all in with long hair and a high-pitched voice as Faulkner, who is living a down-and-out life until he runs into an old friend, Marci (McLendon-Covey), and the two start a relationship. Faulkner also starts a relationship with God (Russel Brand) who commands him to go to Afghanistan and do what the Allied Forces can't.
Business Insider talked to McLendon-Covey about the experience working with an actor like Cage who "doesn't break character," if there will ever be a "Reno 911!" reunion, and why she got cut out of "Magic Mike."
Jason Guerrasio: Was it fun playing the straight man, so to speak? You don't get to do it often.
Wendi McLendon-Covey: I think everybody pretty much looks straight compared to Gary Faulkner. There had to be a couple of people in the movie who would ask questions like, "What are you talking about?" "Voices from God, what?"
Guerrasio: So you're the voice of reason.
McLendon-Covey: Yeah. Or at least a voice of why.
Guerrasio: Asking the important question.
McLendon-Covey: Yeah. "Osama bin Laden, he's got to go, but why you?" When [director] Larry Charles talked to me about it my answer was going to be yes because I've always wanted to work with Larry Charles [director of "Borat"]. But when I watched the videos and saw that this is a real person who really felt this way and he's still out there I felt I really want to go on this journey.
Guerrasio: And on top of that you then have Nicolas Cage playing the guy. Did you get a warning that he was doing the high-pitched voice and the long hair?
McLendon-Covey: I did get that warning because by the time I had worked with him he had been living in this character for months. So our scenes were the very last and I thought, "Okay, I've never met Mr. Cage before, but I know how he works so this will be interesting." And I didn't meet him until, like, five minutes before we started shooting. So I can't say that I've met Nicolas Cage. [Laughs] I only know him as Gary.
McLendon-Covey: Oh, he's in the voice, he's in the character. He lived with his hair like that for months. He just doesn't break character.
Guerrasio: Had you ever encountered that before in your career?
McLendon-Covey: No. Not to that degree. And when I think about it, that can't be easy to live with that character for that many months. I mean, my God. He must have just been dying to shake it off by the time I met him.
Guerrasio: Did you ever try to talk to him between takes?
McLendon-Covey: Well, we did speak a little bit between shots and I found out that as a kid he grew up very close to where I live now in Long Beach. Like, not even a mile away. I know exactly the street he mentioned. So that was a trip for me. So we would talk a little bit but Larry runs a very tight ship and there's not a lot of down time.
Guerrasio: And Nic would have this conversation with you in the Gary voice?
McLendon-Covey: He let that voice go a little bit.
Guerrasio: You get to handle Gary's samurai sword in the movie. Any funny stories using it?
McLendon-Covey: I'm so accident-prone I didn't want to touch it - I thought someone was going to lose an ear if I held it. I knew I would have to do that scene - it wasn't like they surprised me with that. It was in the script. But every time I had to touch that thing I got skeeved out.
Guerrasio: I have to ask because I'm such a fan: Are there any plans to bring together the "Reno 911!" gang for a reunion or movie?
McLendon-Covey: Oh, I wouldn't be the one to ask. I don't know. I'm so busy with what I'm doing. Everybody has jobs.
McLendon-Covey: I don't know. I would have to think about that. I haven't really seen a reunion - I mean, does anyone get what they need from that? I don't know?
Guerrasio: If you guys did a movie again I think fans would run to that.
McLendon-Covey: I don't know. That's so far in the past.
Guerrasio: So this isn't a scenario where you drop everything if cocreator Thomas Lennon or someone from the show calls?
McLendon-Covey: No. I would have to read it and see what else is happening. Listen, I love them all, but it's just so far in the past, I would be surprised if it happens.
Guerrasio: Before "Magic Mike" shot, I remember news in the trades that you were cast. What happened?
McLendon-Covey: My scene just got cut out.
McLendon-Covey: Yeah. I actually have the scene and it just didn't fit in the movie. It didn't advance the story along. It was fun for me but I totally see why they cut it.
Guerrasio: What was it?
McLendon-Covey: I was a realtor or something and I had taken my car to Channing Tatum to get detailed or something and he was dragging his feet so I had to go find him at his home and he kind of sweet-talks me out of being mad.
Guerrasio: Ah, okay.
McLendon-Covey: [Laughs] See, it's not that interesting. But I have it, it does exist. And I stayed in the cut long enough to still get residuals from it. So that's good.