Nicolas Cage: The Hollywood Workaholic

Nicolas Kim Coppola was born in 1964. as son of August Coppola, whose brother was the famous movie director Francis Ford Coppola. When Nicolas decided to be an actor he changed his last name to avoid talks about possible nepotism. He wanted to make a movie carrier on his own, without help of his successful uncle.

So when he started with his first movie roles in the early eighties he took the last name Cage, inspired by the comic superhero Luke Cage. Obsession with comics and superheroes has led him to name his own son Kal-el. He also played Ghost Rider, one of his favorite comic heroes.

Cage’s carrier started to grow when he played the role in “Walley Girl” (1983). That was his first film that was released in theaters. After that he is continually making movies and improving himself to be a better actor. Acting became his therapy, expression and deliverance.

Nicolas Cage invested a lot in himself that one day he could act whoever he wants. He uses to say: “If you want to be a good actor you need to break some rules to achieve something new” or “There is a thin line between a good actor and schizophrenic”.

One of the craziest things he did in his acting carrier was eating a real living cockroach in “Vampire’s Kiss” (1988). After filming “Wild at Heart” (1990) David Lynch called him “a jazzer among the actors”.

Asked about what movie genre he prefers, he answered that he likes drama and action the most. He said that he doesn’t like comedy because he doesn’t find funny what others think is funny. Now he feels some attraction toward science fiction and wants to play in more movies like “Knowing” (2009).

Without any doubt, Nicolas Cage is one of the biggest workaholics in Hollywood. He is capable of making three and more movies at year. For example, only for next year he’s got four movies announced: “Kick Ass”, “Season of the Witch”, “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and “Drive Angry”. When his friends and colleges tell him that he is working too much and to take a break, he just replies: “I am creative. Did somebody tell H.C. Wells, who wrote a tone of books, to stop writing?”

Thanks to his dedication and philosophy Cage became a Hollywood megastar. He won the Oscar for “Leaving Las Vegas” (1995) and earned other 30 wins and 29 nominations trough his carrier.