Nicolas Cage has opened up about how he worked his way out of $6 million in debt, taking any movie role he could.
In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, the 59-year-old actor said he faced financial turmoil after the real estate market crashed.
Cage was asked about rumors that he blew through his fortune from his blockbuster movies with exotic cars and castles.
“I was over-invested in real estate; it wasn’t because I spent $80 on an octopus. The real estate market crashed, and I couldn’t get out in time,” the actor said in response.
When asked about how much money he owed to the IRS, Cage said:
“I paid them all back, but it was about $6 million. I never filed for bankruptcy.”
The eccentric actor moved to Las Vegas and worked hard, starring in about three to four films yearly.
Cage confirmed in the interview that it was a “dark” period in his life, but taking any work he could get kept him with a healthy distraction.
Cage also denied that he did any movies just for a paycheck and always gave his best effort.
“Work was always my guardian angel. It may not have been blue chip, but it was still work,” he added. “Even if the movie ultimately is crummy, they know I’m not phoning it in, that I care every time.”
Nicolas Cage regrets eating a live cockroach in Vampire Kiss
Nicolas Cage takes on the role of Dracula opposite Nicholas Hoult in Renfield.
While on the promotional tour for the movie, which was released on April 14, Cage opened up about one of his regrettable moments for a movie.
In the 1988 comedy, Vampire’s Kiss, Cage ate a live cockroach. “I’ll never do that again,” he said in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, continuing. “I’m sorry I did it at all.”
The outlet reports that the legendary actor was originally meant to swallow a raw egg, but Cage thought that he would get a better reaction putting a roach in his month.
Cage said he ended up eating a cockroach twice in what he believed was a prank by the director.
Hoult, who eats bugs in Renfield, said in the interview that he enjoyed caramel cockroaches rather than the real thing. The British actor also said he enjoyed flavored crickets.
However, Cage then revealed that Hoult didn’t get off easy and ate a real potato bug, which the actor confirmed.
Nicolas Cage has an estimated net worth of $25 million
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cage has bounced back from his dark days with an estimated net worth of $25 million.
The outlet reports that he had made over $200 million in salaries for the over 100 movies he has starred in.
One of his reported big paydays was $20 million for his role in the 2004 movie National Treasure.
In his interview with CBS, the actor drove a Lamborghini and seems to be doing very well financially.