There are a lot of stories out there in the world about Nicolas Cage, but very few of them have come from the man himself. While he’s about as prolific an actor as they come—he has made six movies in the past two years with four more currently in post-production—he tends to keep his media appearances to a minimum. Which made his Thursday night appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote his new film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, all the more momentous.
As Cage told Kimmel and an audibly excited audience as he sat down, it was a “big night” for him as well, as it marked the first time in 14 years that the Oscar-winner had appeared on a national talk show. Fortunately for everyone, Kimmel didn’t hesitate in making up for lost time and made sure to get right to the question on everyone’s mind: Is Cage truly as bizarre as the many myths surrounding him make him out to be? While those two things aren’t mutually exclusive, the truth is: Nic Cage is kind of a delight!
Kimmel made the most of his time with Cage, who was game to answer any burning questions the host might have—and he had plenty. But here are some of the key takeaways that we learned from the 58-year-old, who is set to star as Dracula in Chris McKay’s upcoming Renfield:
— He’s been living full-time in Las Vegas for the past 17 years. And while he originally moved there for tax purposes, he has truly learned to love living there and even managed to secure $80 million in funding to build a studio there (until Elon Musk swooped in and ruined his plans, as Musk is prone to do).
— Cage doesn’t gamble now, but did confirm that the last time he gambled, which was in the Bahamas, he managed to turn $200 to $20,000 in about 30 minutes. Describing it as “one of those nights where you feel like the mojo is with you, and you knew you could just do nothing wrong” (Kimmel could not relate), Cage then took his winnings and hand-delivered the pile of cash to the headmistress of a local orphanage. “And I never gambled again, because it would ruin the magic of that night.”
— For a short time, he owned a two-headed snake—which he admitted is “odd.” Unfortunately, the two heads didn’t really get along, and he would have to place a spatula between the heads in order to feed them. “And it just got a little too freaky for me,” he explained. In 2008, Cage ended up donating the snake to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, which they named Harvey (after Batman’s Harvey “Two Face” Dent). Harvey happily lived out the rest of his years there, and just passed away due to issues related to old age in September 2021.
— Today he has a very friendly, and very fancy-looking, African pied crow, who likes to say “Hi” and “Bye,” and has also been known to call Cage an “a**hole.”
You can watch the full clip, including Cage discussing the time he attempted to buy a bat cave and talking about The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in the clip above.
