Nicolas Cage’s generous Telethon donation and shoutout came about after 7NEWS Perth anchor Rick Ardon attempted to get the Hollywood A-lister to make a surprise appearance at the fundraiser.
Speaking to The West Australian after the 26-hour marathon raised a record total of more than $77 million, Ardon said he had even filmed a personal video message for Cage, to convince him to join the event.
“I know locals down south involved with the movie, so we tried hard to get him to Telethon, even offering to fly him up and down,” Ardon said.
“I sent Nic a video message from my phone with a surfboard at Trigg beach, letting him know what Telethon is all about, saving kids’ lives.”
Cage, who is in the South West to film the new thriller The Surfer, was unable to make the trip up due to delayed production and needing to stay “in character” for his role.
Ardon revealed a local had been teaching him how to surf, but surfing is only a small part of the psychological thriller. It should be finished by the end of next month.
“You have to feel for them because they’ve started shooting two and a half weeks late, so the timing is really tight,” Ardon said.
“The movie people got back to me saying it just wasn’t possible to get Nic up to Perth and back between filming.
“They explained he has to stay in character for his role.”
Cage later recorded a special message for Telethon, encouraging others to donate, and even contributing $5000 himself.
“I’d love to be with you right now but I am filming down south,” Nicolas Cage said in an aired recording from the call.
“I’d like to ask you to please donate to Telethon and help some children, maybe save some children’s lives.”
Ardon said he was thrilled his attempt to contact Cage to help fundraise for WA’s sick kids had been a success.
“It was a nice surprise to hear my phone ping on Saturday and there was Nicolas Cage, leaving a message, saying he’d love to be at Telethon,” he said.
“It was great to hear that drawling accent, making a heartfelt plea for people to donate to Telethon — and we loved his $5000 donation.
“I’m glad he got the message because it’s often hard to get through minders – I even had a couple of locals working on the movie ready to flash the phone message to him.
“While he’s a famous actor, he’s also a father trying to protect his young family. But it’s not every day you have a Hollywood star in Yallingup.”