BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) HIS PRIVATE PROPERTY
He has owned jets, his own private islands, and all the normal super rich guy stuff but it doesn’t end there. There’s the “Disneyland” inspired mansion, an 11th century castle, a 9 foot tall pyramid shaped tomb in New Orleans, 9 Rolls Royces, and more randomness than you can shake a stick at. Many know this already, but he was once in line to play Superman in the mid 90s. It’s been said that he was really into the idea and with Tim Burton slated to direct the proposed version it would have been a huge hit no matter how it turned out. Maybe because it didn’t pan out, or just lack of space but in 97 Cage sold his huge comic book collection for 1.6 MILLION dollars. That’s a lot of cape! This is my favorite. In 2007, Nicolas Cage won a very bizarre auction. Out bidding fellow A-Lister Leonardo DiCaprio, Nic paid $276,000 for a real life DINOSAUR SKULL. Yes, a freaking dinosaur skull! Figuring out what he still owns right now and doesn’t is a research project I will not attempt. The point is that at least at one point in time, maybe even currently, Nicolas Cage owned some of the weirdest and coolest stuff I’ve ever heard of. I don’t even think Michael Jackson had THIS eccentric of tastes.
(THREE) PERSISTENCE
Nicolas Cage does not half-ass anything. He’s dedicated to his roles and goes the extra distance. I’m sure he’s learned languages, done stunts, and all that. In 89 he ate a live cockroach for the movie “Vampire Kiss”. Yeah, it took THREE takes to get right. He can play the mandolin because of working in “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”. It doesn’t just end with his roles. The dude seems persistent about everything! The first meeting he had with Patricia Arquette he proposed. He then suggested he’d go on a “quest” to prove himself to her. She gave him the outrageous challenges of tracking down a JD Salinger autograph, a Tibetan wedding dress, and a “Bob’s Big Boy” stature. Of course he accomplished this and eight years later the two would finally marry. It only lasted six years but that kind of pursuit is as remarkable as any silly romcom I’ve seen. When you’ve made as many box office smash hits, dramatic darlings, and as much art as Nic Cage it says a lot to keep that same focus and drive through out. He’s definitely on my dream/hypothetical list of actors I’d like to work with. I’m fairly sure it’ll never happen, but Nicolas Cage equals success. And by “success” I mean much more than just trophies and bucks.
(TWO) OUTLANDISH RUMORS
With Nicolas Cage anything is possible. It’s part of who he is and really I think part of his charm. There three rumors I want to cover in this section, but I’m sure there have been plenty more. One story is that he’s having financial problems and may even have to file bankruptcy. It’s been denied as recently as this past week, but the odd twist to the story is Johnny Depp! Cage and Depp go way back. In fact, Cage is the one who told Depp to be an actor. He just saw “it” in him and hooked Depp up with his agent and got his legendary career off the ground. Yeah, we should probably thank him for that. (Thanks!) He may have gone crazy with spending, but his movies have grossed over FIVE BILLION DOLLARS. I would assume his residual checks are more than most of us will make in a life time. The second is a rumor from this past week. During a post release celebration of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, Cage and apparently got into a bar fight! He was at a bad in Manhattan with costars drinking it up and having a good old time when he apparently got into a fight with someone. This has been denied by his reps, but seriously who’d try to fight Nicolas Cage. He doesn’t seem or look all that intimidating but I’d imagine him as the type that’d rip an eye out, bite a nose off, or literally rip someone’s “Face/Off”.
(ONE) FAMILY TIES
He comes from one of the most prominent families of modern film, the Coppolas. His grandma, Italia was an actress and his grandfather Carmine was a composer. His uncle is Francis Ford Coppola. Yes, THAT Francis Ford Coppola. His aunt is Talia Shire of “Rocky” fame. It goes on and on to the younger relatives in director Sofia Coppola and actor/musician Jason Schwartzman. With all these ties and huge family connections he still wanted to establish himself on his own. To do this, he changed his name early in his career to Nicolas Cage. Showing his true comic nerd-ness, the name came from Marvel Comics superhero “Luke Cage”. Crazy, I tell you! Crazy!
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