Nicolas Cage may have done some strange ass shit over the years, both personally and professionally, but here’s something that might surprise you: he’s proud of it all and doesn’t regret a single thing. Sure, some of the movies he did totally bombed or made no since, but what the hell? He still got his paycheck and “pushed the envelope”, right?
From The Times:
“I’m proud of the chances I’ve taken. They haven’t all worked, but I had a concept and I’ve pushed for it,” the father of two noted. “It’s probably annoyed a lot of critics and a lot of people who didn’t get in step with it, but I’m proud I did it. Tolstoy said something to the effect of, it doesn’t matter whether the response you get is love or hatred, because you’ve created an effect. What’s not worthwhile is when it sits there and people forget about it. But whether people love it or hate it, at least you’ve done something. That gives me some solace.”
Well, that’s good – at the end of the day, he’s the only person that has to live with his choices. But hey, that doesn’t mean we can all just say whatever we want. Nicolas Cage is a real person with real feelings, after all!
“Sometimes I feel like an outsider,” he admitted. “When you’re endowed with an original way of thinking, or with a highly active imagination, you can become quickly ostracized. You can feel isolated and misunderstood.”
“I care about what people think of me,” he continued. “Some of the snarky comments people make can get under my skin. I can be a bit of a broken record at home when I read the things that are said about me. But I have to just stop belaboring these things and let it go, rather than complaining to my wife all the time.”
Damn, that’s… kinda sad. I’m not even a millionaire movie star, and I don’t even give a shit what people say/think about me. I feel like with a shit ton of money, comments from a bunch of faceless people would matter even less, but I suppose we’re all different in that way.
Anyway, in all seriousness, I do like Nic Cage. I was a university student at the New School when he was on Inside the Actors Studio over a decade ago and I went to the taping (we had free tickets since it was filmed there). After the show was filmed, the audience got to ask him questions, and he really was a nice, humble, sweet guy. Also, he has the craziest blue eyes you will ever see. The end.
Quick: Name your favourite Nicolas Cage movie!