“I Will Never Work Out That Hard Again”: Nicolas Cage Says His Abs in Ghost Rider Were Real

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is said to be an ode to the career of actor Nicolas Cage, and now Cage is on an online marketing campaign to promote the film. Of the many questions people have about Cage, one is if he really did have abs in 2007’s Ghost Rider, and while a lot of people said they were fake, Cage has confirmed he did indeed work his ass off to look good for the movie.

In an interview with GQ where he replies to fans online, Cage explains, “They are real, and that’s why I will never work out that hard again, because nobody wanted to believe they were real. They wanted to believer it was CGI, which it wasn’t. So what’s the point?”

Sadly, Cage’s run as Ghost Rider didn’t last too long, and the franchise ended with a crash with the horribly reviewed Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. It’s likely Cage won’t return, but with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness said to be a ‘celebration of all things Marvel,’ it would be great if he got a small cameo—even just a voice cameo would do.

For now, Marvel seems to be toeing the line when it comes to Ghost Rider. We haven’t had a new Johnny Blaze, but Agents of SHIELD did give us Robbie Reyes. There’s also an ongoing fan campaign to have Norman Reedus play the new Ghost Rider, but until Marvel plans to bring him in, all we can do is wait.

In the meantime, you can catch Cage in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent which comes out April 22.