Nicolas Cage admits taking ‘crummy’ roles to pay $6m debt during ‘dark’ period of his life

Nicolas Cage has admitted to taking ‘crummy’ roles to pay for $6 million of debt, saying it was a very ‘dark’ period in his life.

Cage, 59, has become something of a cult hero over the years, having seemingly been unafraid to take on all kinds of weird and wonderful roles as Hollywood dictates.

Of course, a job’s a job, and whatever line of work we’re in many of us will find ourselves saying yes to things we’re not necessarily proud of for the sake of a solid pay cheque.

And it turns out this is what happened to Cage during one stage of his career, after he racked up millions in debt.

By his own admission, the actor had ‘over-invested’ in real estate, which he ended up having to pay for further down the line with ‘crummy’ film roles that would help keep him afloat.

CBS

Speaking to 60 Minutes, he said: “I was over-invested in real estate. The real estate market crashed, and I couldn’t get out in time.

“I paid them all back, but it was about $6 million. I never filed for bankruptcy.”

Cage said it was a ‘dark’ period in his life, but getting acting gigs kept him going as he continued to try paying off the debt – even if that meant direct-to-video flicks.

He continued: “Work was always my guardian angel. It may not have been blue chip, but it was still work.

“Even if the movie ultimately is crummy, they know I’m not phoning it in, that I care every time.”

While Cage didn’t specify any of the dud-note films he wasn’t massively keen on, he did recently reveal his favourites.

During an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, he reeled off a list of his top five films.

"Okay I'm gonna start with Pig, that's my favourite movie I've ever made," he began.

The 2021 film was nominated for all sorts of awards after its release, and has an impressive 97 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Cage continued: "I love Mandy, the movie that Panos [Cosmatos] directed.

"I love Bringing Out The Dead, the movie that Martin Scorsese directed."

Neon

Mandy (2018) was an action-horror film that starred Cage as Red Miller, who, with his partner Mandy Bloom, finds his peaceful nature haven destroyed by a horrific cult.

And Bringing Out The Dead (1999) saw the actor as a mentally and physically exhausted paramedic from Manhattan, who tries to keep his head on straight while dealing with hallucinations about all the people who he couldn't save on the job.

Naming his number four and five, Cage told Colbert: "I loved Bad Lieutenant, [directed by] Verner Herzog,

"And I loved a movie called Joe that David Gordon Green directed."

He starred in the 2009 version of Bad Lieutenant, alongside Eva Mendes and Val Kilmer.

And, in the 2013 film Joe, Cage played the titular character, a kind, Southern man with a violent streak he's trying to keep quiet. But when he finds out the youngest member of his lumber crew is dealing with an abusive father, it gets harder for Joe to contain himself.