Nicolas Cage has candidly opened up during an interview about why he made so many lackluster movies.
The 59-year-old Hollywood star has starred in over 100 movies in his career. He is a two-time Academy Award winner, first succeeding in the Best Actor category for his performance in Leaving Las Vegas and again in 2003 for his roles as Charlie and Donald Kaufman in Adaptation.
The star also had some leading roles as an action star, with hits including Con Air, The Rock, and Face Off as well as the 1994 rom-com, It Could Happen to You.
While the actor has an impressive long-lasting career, there have been some indisputably bad movies in his recent filmography.
Watch Cage explain why he made so many bad movies:For some film fanatics, it seemed as if Cage would take any movie, no matter the role, back story, or director. For example, he starred in Bangkok Dangerous, 211, and Outcast - all movies that you have probably never heard of, let alone seen.
But there is a reason why the Renfield star will pick up any script. During his interview with 60 Minutes, he revealed that it was due to his financial problems.
Cage was once one of the industry's highest-paid actors, at one point worth over $150 million. He adopted a lavish lifestyle by spending large amounts on castles in Europe, a fleet of Rolls Royces, and a collection of exotic items such as a dinosaur skull.
However, he was soon in hot water with the IRS over unpaid taxes, and the financial crash of 2007/2008 wiped out most of his investments.
Speaking about the time of his life, Cage said: "I was over-invested in real estate. It wasn’t because I spent $80 on an octopus. The real estate market crashed, and I couldn’t get out in time. I paid them all back but it was about $6 million."
When the interviewer asked if it was a "dark time" in his life, the actor agreed and noted that he successfully avoided having to file for bankruptcy.
"No doubt work was always my guardian angel. It may not have been blue chip, but it was still work," he explained. "Even if the movie ultimately is crummy, they know I’m not phoning it in, that I care every time."
"But there are those folks who think the only good acting I can do [is] the acting I chose to do by design, which was more operatic and larger-than-life, the so-called 'Cage Rage'. You’re not going to get that all the time," he added.
The Ghost Rider actor added that there are still particular acting roles he wants to go for.
Cage's apparent need to take on work to help his financial situation featured in the 2022 action comedy movie, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
The story follows the actor - who plays a heightened, fictionalized version of himself - accepting an offer of $1 million from his agent Richard Fink that involves going to Majorca to meet eccentric billionaire Javi Gutierrez (played by Pedro Pascal) and to be the guest of honor at his birthday.
The movie has an impressive 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.