

Macau’s Huading Awards are, apparently, China’s answer to the Oscars. The ceremony had very little international clout until this year’s broadcast, which featured stars like Nicole Kidman, Quentin Tarantino, and Jeremy Irons. Most importantly of all, of course, was the newly-dubbed Best Global Actor in Motion Pictures, Nicolas Cage.

Cage gave a wonderfully daft sincere interview to The Hollywood Reporter while attending the event:

“I was excited to do a film here, as I believe in the ‘genius loci’ of a place — the ‘genie’ of the place is what I call it – and I absorb that energy and it affects performance. So I can tell you 100 percent, that making a movie in China, you know I’m buzzing with good energy.” [Cage said.]

He added that he even plans to partially relocate to Hong Kong: “I want a base in Asia, and I decided that Hong Kong would be the perfect place for me to have a life.”

While approaching the stage to accept his award as best actor in motion pictures, Cage went out of his way to shake hands with a young Chinese boy seated near the front of the hall and wearing a Superman costume.

In beard and ponytail – presumably for his role in Outcast, in which he plays a warrior in Imperial China – Cage raised his hands above his head dramatically and said: “Nihao, people of China. Xie xie, people of China. Wo ai ni ren, people of China.” (“Hi, thanks, I love you people.”)

Other noteworthy winners were Best Global Actor in a TV Series Matthew Perry and Best Global Singer Avril Lavigne.

[Image via Wikipedia]