Nicolas Cage On Turning Down Blockbuster Movies For Family

Nicolas Cage, 58-year-old, has managed to retain a workload of commercial movies even after decades in the spotlight, opened up about how he balances his career with his personal life. First of all, you should know that the great Nicolas Cage does not take himself too seriously.

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When it comes to Cage’s priorities, his family pretty much has the first spot. Not that he isn’t a career guy, as his decades in the spotlight would, without a doubt, prove he is, but because he values a richer personal life than other things.

In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the “Ghost Rider” actor opened up about being a family guy even with all the fame and the success.

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In his new comedy, Cage plays a fictionalized version of himself who spends most of his time seeking the next big role that will put him back on the map. As a result of this obsession, he neglects his 16-year-old daughter (played by Lily Sheen).

But in real life, Cage is nothing like his fictionalized version, he always strives to be a present and attentive father.

“First and foremost … there’s no version of Nic Cage in reality that doesn’t want to spend time with his children,” he said. “There’s no version of Nic Cage that didn’t put family first over career. I turned down Lord of the Rings and I turned down Matrix because I didn’t want to go to New Zealand for three years or Australia for three years because I needed to be home with my son Weston, that’s a fact.”

“So there is a huge disparity between that Nick Cage in Massive Talent and the Nic Cage sitting in front of you right now,” he added.

Cage’s eldest son Weston is now 31 and married with kids. Cage is also father to 16-year-old Kal-El — he is also expecting a baby with wife Riko Shibata.

How Nicolas Cage’s Fictionalized Version Is Different From The Real-life Version

Even though the fictionalized version of Nicolas Cage and the original Nicolas Cage are very different when you consider their priorities, the movie manages to poke fun at Cage’s impressive filmography and the fanbase he accumulated through the years.

However, even the movie’s director Tom Gormican and co-screenwriter Kevin Etten were surprised when they met Cage and he was nothing like what they imagined he’d be.

“The thing that surprised us most is he has this reputation of this sort of crazy, wild guy. Then he came and he was so unbelievably prepared and he had thought so much about the character,” said Gormican. “We were just fascinated by his process.”

Etten then added: “He understood that if he took something like this on he would get to really, on a huge scale, play with people’s ideas of who they think he is versus who he really is. It’s like a big performance art piece in that way.”

According to Cage, poking fun at himself is an attribute he has lived with for many years.

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“I always say to myself, ‘I never had a career, only work.’ What I mean by that is sometimes — and I won’t mention names — but when you get into this career-minded perception of one’s self it can be a slippery slope, and it can lead to things where you start believing in your own mythos and you start taking yourself way too seriously.”

Explaining the reason why he doesn’t take himself seriously, Cage said: “You become pretentious and then you fall into the realm of diva and that’s when mistakes happen in your personal life and on camera.”

“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” — which stars Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris, Ike Barinholtz and Sharon Horgan — will premiere in theaters this Friday.

Be sure to catch up on everything happening with Nicolas Cage right now. Come back here often for all Nicolas Cage spoilers, news, and updates.

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