Why Nicolas Cage turned down The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings
By Daniel Roman
Nicolas Cage is an enigma of a man. Is he a good actor? Is he a bad actor? No one really knows, but damn is he fun to watch. Over the course four decades, Cage has entertained audiences around the world; from adventure films like National Treasure to superhero flicks like Ghost Rider to grittier fare like Con Air and The Rock, Cage has done it all.
Well, almost done it all. His newest film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, sees Cage take on a daring new role: himself. This meta movie also stars Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish and Neil Patrick Harris.
In the movie, Cage plays a washed-out version of himself looking for his next break. It puts him at odds with his daughter, which according to the real cage is not true to life. “First and foremost … there’s no version of Nic Cage in reality that doesn’t want to spend time with his children,” the actor told Yahoo. “There’s no version of Nic Cage that didn’t put family first over career. I turned down Lord of the Rings and I turned down Matrix because I didn’t want to go to New Zealand for three years or Australia for three years because I needed to be home with my son Weston, that’s a fact. So there is a huge disparity between that Nick Cage in Massive Talent and the Nic Cage sitting in front of you right now.”
Nicolas Cage turned down The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings to be with his family
Before Keanu Reeves was tapped to star in The Matrix as Neo, the role was offered to Cage, but he turned it down. Until now, we didn’t know why. Turning down parts in major films because he didn’t want to relocate halfway around the world for years at a time while his son was growing up is about as legit as reasons get.
Although now, I really wonder what The Matrix would have looked like with Cage in the lead. As for The Lord of the Rings, Slash Film reports that Cage was offered the role of Aragorn before it went to Viggo Mortensen. I don’t know if I can unsee the mental image of Nic Cage leading the hobbits on a grand journey and slicing up orcs. He may not be the king we got, but was he the king we… deserved?
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is out in theaters on April 22.
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