Cage on why he turned down roles in The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix

Imagine a world where Aragorn or Neo was played by Nicolas Cage. That would be a reality if the actor didn’t put his family first. Cage is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors and the face of some of the internet’s most memorable memes.

But before all of that, Cage was a father and a family man.

Cage told People: "First and foremost, there is no Cage in reality who doesn't want to spend time with his children. There is no Cage who doesn't put family first. I turned down The Lord of the Rings, I turned down The Matrix, because I didn't want to go to New Zealand or Australia for three years, because I wanted to be at home with my son Weston. This is a fact."

Cage currently has two sons, the eldest son Weston, 31 years old, and the youngest son Kal-EI, 16 years old. Cage and his current wife Riko Shibata are expected to welcome their baby later this year.

Cage went on to describe his philosophy on acting and how he strives to never take himself too seriously.

“I always say to myself, ‘I never had a career, I only had a job.’ Sometimes I mean, I won’t mention names, but when you get into this career-focused self, it’s a one-way street, it leads to you starting to believe in your own myth, you start taking yourself too seriously.”