Why Did Nicolas Cage’s Wife Patricia Arquette Eat Garlic Before Kissing Ewan McGregor Onscreen? (Photo Credit – Wikipedia)
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Nicolas Cage and Patricia Arquette were a power couple in the late ‘90s when both were reaching the heights of their careers. But in their golden era, a movie rarely lacked intimate scenes, making the presence of a smooching partner a given.
Cage and Arquette were no exception either. Like Hollywood relationships, they inevitably faced the awkwardness of filming intimate scenes with co-stars. However, they had a unique method to ensure professional boundaries remained intact — garlic.
While promoting the second season of the hit show Severance with Adam Scott, Arquette disclosed her peculiar agreement in a First We Feast video. The Boyhood actress recalled adhering to the pact when filming a kissing scene with Ewan McGregor in the 1997 thriller Nightwatch. “I’m so sorry, but I told my husband [Cage] I was going to have to eat some garlic,” she informed the Star Wars actor before their scene.
However, the script flipped when she asked Nicolas Cage whether he had followed through on their agreement for his own love scene. His response was: “I thought we were kidding.” Arquette was left incredulous, exclaiming, “What?!” Though Arquette did not name the National Treasure star directly, the interview clip displayed red-carpet images of the former couple, making the identity of her then-husband unmistakable.
Directed by Ole Bornedal, Nightwatch was Arquette’s only film with McGregor, featuring the Obi-Wan Kenobi actor as a law student and night security guard who becomes involved in a serial killer’s crimes. The 1997 project was shot during Arquette and Cage’s high-profile relationship.
Nicolas Cage and Patricia Arquette were married from 1995 to 2001, and the latter was Cage’s first wife. The Coppola family heir tied the knot four additional times, marrying Lisa Marie Presley, Alice Kim, Erika Koike, and his current wife, Riko Shibata. Cage’s career reached its pinnacle early into his relationship with Arquette, as he took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for portraying a self-destructive, lonely alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas in 1995.
The Ghost Rider star’s subsequent honeymoon phase in Hollywood saw him headline classic action blockbusters, including Con Air, The Rock, Face/Off, and Gone in 60 Seconds. During this run, he shared on-screen kisses with Monica Potter, Vanessa Marcil, Gina Gershon, and Angelina Jolie. However, none have publicly mentioned a garlic-related experience — at least, not yet.
