Summary

  • Cage reveals the backstory behind his iconic line "Put the bunny back in the box" from Con Air, explaining that he wrote it to make a ridiculous twist on the tradition of iconic action movie lines like Clint Eastwood's "Make my day."
  • Con Air is often overlooked among Cage's '90s action movies, but it marked his second venture into the genre and showcased his ability to balance absurdity and genuine emotion in his performance.
  • The on-set antics of the Con Air cast, including competitions and testosterone-driven contests, highlight the film's underlying ridiculousness and contribute to its cult following among Cage fans.

Nicolas Cage's most iconic Con Air line gets a surprisingly detailed explanation from the Oscar winner. The 1997 action-thriller saw Cage star as a former Army Ranger sentenced to prison after accidentally killing someone and, while flying to Alabama for his release, the convicts aboard the plan hijack it and attempt to escape. Alongside Cage, the ensemble Con Air cast included John Cusack, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Colm Meany, Mykelti Williamson, Dave Chappelle and Danny Trejo.

During a recent interview with absurdist comedy Dream Scenario, Cage reflected on some iconic scenes from his past filmography. While looking at Con Air and the iconic "Put the bunny back in the box" scene, the actor revealed the surprising backstory behind the line, including the fact he himself wrote it and that it stemmed from a desire to continue an iconic action genre tradition from the likes of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry. See what Cage shared in the quote and video below:

Well, first of all, I actually wrote that line, “Put the bunny back in the box.” Why? Okay, so you see these adventure films with these big stars, like Clint Eastwood, “Make my day”, and I thought, “How can I take that tradition, make the ‘Make my day’ so ridiculous? What can I come up with that will become my ‘Make my day’? Bunnies are kind of funny, I’m bringing a bunny to my daughter” — that was another idea I put in. And that’s why I put the bunny in, I wanted to say that line, “Put the bunny back in the box.” It’s absurdity at its finest, but again, if you sell it [laughs] with genuine emotion, and real determination, like this is the most serious thing in the world — and it is, because he has to give it to his daughter who he hasn’t seen in six years. It’s serious, and he means it, but it’s ridiculous and that’s what I love about it.

Why Con Air is Cage's Most Underrated '90s Action Movie

Nicolas Cage winking in Con Air

Though synonymous with the genre nowadays, Con Air marked only his second venture into the world of blockbuster action movies after Michael Bay's The Rock the year before. Both movies were essentially the start of his long relationship with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, going on to star in the Gone in 60 Seconds remake as well as the National Treasure movies. With this era also seeing him star in such hits as Face/Off and Matchstick Men, however, the 1997 movie is often thrown to the wayside.

Cage is also reportedly still in talks for a potential National Treasure 3, with co-star Justin Bartha indicating in early 2023 that a script was complete for the threequel.

As indicated in his discussion of the "bunny" line above, Cage recognized the sheer absurdity of Con Air and the entertainment value the movie held by not taking itself too seriously. Between the one-line-heavy script from Scott Rosenberg, who would later reunite with Cage on Gone in 60 Seconds, to Mark Mancina and Trevor Rabin's acclaimed musical score and grandiose action sequences, the creative team behind it clearly understand the absurd potential of its premise and cast.

The on-set antics of the cast of Con Air also show just how ridiculous the movie ultimately was. Danny Trejo previously recalled how one of the directives for the movie was to "put all the wannabe tough guys in a plane in Hollywood", resulting in various testosterone-driven competitions between the actors, ranging from "a spitting contest" to trying to "do more push-ups" than the others. Though it has a cult following among Cage fans, the likes of The Rock and Face/Off and his Oscar-winning work in Leaving Las Vegas and later success in National Treasure and other action genre movies make Con Air one of the more underrated Cage gems from the era.

Source: Vanity Fair