Nicolas Cage described his sudden rise to prominence after the 1987 romantic comedy Moonstruck as feeling like being struck inside the head by a “big, wet fish”. The comment reflected his unease with the intense attention that followed the film’s success, despite his gratitude that audiences had embraced it. The role mattered because it helped establish Cage as a leading man and turned him into an unexpected heart-throb.

In Moonstruck, Cage played Ronny Cammareri, the brooding younger brother of Cher’s character’s fiancé, in a story about a widow who falls in love with him. The Norman Jewison film also featured Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis and Vincent Gardenia, and became both a commercial and critical success. At 24, Cage had already appeared in several films, including projects directed by his uncle Francis Ford Coppola, but Moonstruck greatly raised his public profile.