In recent years, Nicolas Cage has built a new career as a B-movie actor. It’s a role change unlike any other in Hollywood – with its own signs and apparently also to the actor’s taste.
But just over 20 years ago everything could have looked very different, as the 58-year-old now told the celebrity newspaper “People”. Accordingly, he once turned down important engagements in “Matrix” and “Lord of the Rings” in order to be able to be there more for his family.
For Nicolas Cage, family is everything
“First of all, there isn’t a version of Nic Cage in this world that doesn’t want to spend time with her kids,” Cage said. “There’s no version of Nic Cage that puts career ahead of family.”
Until now it was not known what significance this decision played in his life. But Cage was even more explicit: “I turned down ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Matrix’ because I didn’t want to go to New Zealand or Australia for three years because I had to be at home with my son Weston, that’s just a fact. “
Weston Cage Coppola is now 31 years old and works as an actor and producer in the Hollywood business. Cage is also the father of 16-year-old Kal-El and is expecting another baby this year with wife Riko Shibata.
Most recently, the actor told “GQ” that in the past he had only accepted numerous roles to pay off debts. An experience that helped him in the thriller comedy Massive Talent, his latest film.
Nicolas Cage defends his roles
For Cage, who announced an interest in further comedy, it was also important to reiterate that his choice of roles has not been secondary in recent years.
He told People that some of his films from the last five years are on par with films from the ’90s that became box office hits or even won him an Oscar. “I put ‘Mandy’ next to ‘Face/Off’. I put ‘Pig’ next to ‘Leaving Las Vegas’.”