Jean-Claude Van Damme has offered to help Nicolas Cage resurrect his career.
The 54-year-old actor mocks the ‘Con/Air’ star in his new series, ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’ – in which he quips he has been "real retired, not Nicolas Cage retired" and making projects that just end up being seen as video on demand (VOD) – but he insists the jibe was in good humour and he’d even like to see the Oscar-winning actor make a guest appearance in the programme.
He said: "First of all, Nicolas Cage is a great actor and you don’t know what’s going on with life. I have a destiny, I’ve done what I’ve done.
"Listen, Nicolas Cage maybe will be in ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’ and suddenly, maybe one episode, it’s all good, let’s put him back, right."
And the Belgian actor hopes to get more Hollywood stars on board for the Amazon Prime Video show, in which he plays himself, but a version where his acting career is a front for his double life as a secret agent, if they make a second series.
Speaking at a press conference for the programme in Paris, France, on Tuesday (12.12.17), he said: "The beauty of ‘JCVC’ is, if we go second season, we’re going to bring more guest stars into the second season, we can go around the world and shoot in Paris, in China, so we bring our French friends into the show, so people think they are a part.
"Amazon are all over the place, and that’s great, you can go in their country and they feel like they are part of the show."
The programme held its world premiere in Paris on Tuesday evening, the first time an Amazon Prime series has done so outside of the US, and there were many reasons why Jean-Claude wanted it to be screened there first.
Speaking ahead of the red carpet event at The Grand Rex theatre, he told BANG Showbiz: "When ‘Bloodsport’ came out, they didn’t want to see that movie in Belgium. France made me a star.
"Secondly, this is the place to be when you’re in love, you come to Paris and it’s the city of love.
"Number three, one day God woke up very happy and he decided to create a country with mountains and the nice blue water, and it became France."
The actor was joined at the premiere by his co-stars Phylicia Rashad, Kat Foster, Moises Arias, Tim Peper, and Bar Paly, director Peter Atencio, Executive Producers David Zucker and Clayton Krueger, and showrunner Dave Callaham.
‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’ is available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video from Friday (15.12.17).
Jean-Claude Van Damme wants Nicolas Cage for guest role
