To pay off $6 million debt, Nicolas Cage says he took roles in mediocre movies

Nicolas Cage gave an interview to the program 60 minutes, from the American broadcaster CBS, and said that he accepted roles in films that he considers mediocre to pay off a debt of US$ 6 million.

“I invested too much in real estate. The housing market crashed and I couldn’t get out in time. I paid it all back, but [devi ao credores] about $6 million. I never filed for bankruptcy”. To pay the amount, Cage acted in four productions a year and says that the period was dark.

“I dove in and worked around the clock, making three to four movies a year. It was a dark period, of course.” But, despite the constant work, it was precisely the routine that helped him to deal with the problem. “Work has always been my guardian angel. Even if the movie sucked, the critics knew I didn’t care,” he said.

In the same interview, Cage said he thought he would never win an Oscar in his career. But that “Leaving Las Vegas” (1995) was an “answer to his prayers”—he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.

“When I first read the script, I thought, ‘This is the kind of movie I really want to do.’ I was literally saying to myself, ‘I’m never going to win an Oscar, so let’s do this anyway.’