Why Nicolas Cage Turned Down A Part In 'The Lord Of The Rings' & 'Matrix'

Nicolas Cage was set to be in not one but two major movie franchises. The "Pig" actor recently revealed that he reacted vastly different than his role in his latest comedy, "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," would have.

In the movie, Cage portrayed a workaholic version of himself who was more prone to neglecting his 16-year-old daughter than taking care of her. While the film isn't the correct portrayal of Cage's character, it poked fun at the actor's storied filmography.

In an interview with a news tabloid, Cage admitted that his actual nature couldn't be more different from "Massive Talent." The actor said he canceled two major roles that would take him overseas for an extended period to stay with his now 31-year-old son.

Unlike his workaholic role in "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," Cage is much more concerned about his family in real life. In an interview with People, the actor disclosed two significant roles in huge franchises he forfeited due to family.

Via People, he said, "First and foremost … there's no version of Nic Cage in reality that doesn't want to spend time with his children. There's no version of Nic Cage that didn't put family first over career."

The "Face Off" actor then revealed that he turned down a role in "The Lord of the Rings" and "Matrix" because he didn't want to have to travel away from his son, Weston, for a long time. The movies were shot in New Zealand and Australia for around three years.

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

Celebrities aren't always as they seem or portray themselves in public. The director of "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," Tom Gormican, and co-screenwriter Kevin Etten learned this firsthand when they worked with Cage on the comedy.

Gormican admitted that while Cage always had a reputation as a "crazy, wild guy," he got something entirely different when the actor showed up. He said, "The thing that surprised me 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. We were just fascinated by his process."

The co-screenwriter 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."

On the topic of his career, Cage mentioned that he preferred poking fun at himself, as he had done over the years. The actor revealed he did so to get away from a "career-minded perception of oneself," which was apparently a "slippery slope."

"I always say to myself, 'I never had a career, only work,'" he admitted. "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 mythos, and you start taking yourself way too seriously."

The "Con Air" actor added that the result could mean pretentiousness and the performer getting into the "realm of diva." "You become pretentious, and then you fall into the realm of diva," he said. "And that's when mistakes happen in your personal life and on camera."

With his son, Weston, at 31 and Kal-El at 16, Cage is reportedly expecting another child with his wife, Riki Shibata. In an interview, the couple mentioned they picked out names for the baby depending on the sex.

Talking to GQ, they said Akita Francesco would be a suitable name for a girl, while Lennon Augie was a good choice for a boy. "'Augie was my father's nickname. And my uncle [Francis Ford Coppola] has decided to change his name to Francesco. I think it's so sweet. It's like a little edamame. A little bean,' he said of his baby-to-be while looking at a two-month ultrasound on his phone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YHPZMj8r4