Nicolas Cage Quotes

I've been acting all along. I understand that I haven't been in people's viewers, but acting has never not been a part of my life, just more time in between and less high-profile.

As an actor, it's very rare that you get a choice in a matter. But you're always looking for something that has some gravitas.

You can be the lead in a movie just for the sake of being a lead in a movie, or you can just be in a good movie.

As an actress, emotions are my business, my stock-in-trade. As such, I've dealt with them nearly all my life.

For most of my career, I've played roles that were written for other actresses.

As an actor, you usually live your life with faith.

For me, in general, it's always about the material. Obviously, it's about the material and hoping that someone wants to hire me for a job, too, but I've certainly seen films like 'Orphan' and movies like that where I know that if I had had the opportunity to read that script or had an opportunity to do it, I would have wanted to do it.

But I've always felt that the less you know about an actor's personal life, the more you can get involved in the story in which he's playing a character. And I don't like to see movies where you know about everything that happens behind the scenes. I can't engage in the story if I know what's going on in the actor's head.

To me, the stand up part in my life is great. I know I can do that. When I get an acting chance, I'm really thrilled.

I cannot be a character in a bad movie. I can't be.

I always used to say, as a director, that I could make anybody good in a movie if you found the right part. It all comes down to casting.

I'm an actor. My life as an actor depends on who sends me what. I'm just taking the best stuff that I can find that's sent my way, regardless of how big or little the paycheck is.

You study all your life, you work really hard to do your best work onstage and onscreen, and then you make your best money playing an ant.

Soap opera wouldn't be my first choice, but at this point in my life, I would consider a soap. It would allow me to act and still do other things with my life.

The theatre show-biz types don't change much, no matter what era we're in. The question of how you balance being in show business with your personal life isn't very different.

I'd play the same character for ten years if the words and the moments that I'm playing are authentic.

Theater will always be a huge part of my life. The high I get from doing theater is not, quite honestly, matched by many things. I like the fact that when you step out on the stage, for that given night, for better or for worse, you are the master of the boards. I love it to death.

What I truly get excited about is not the genre of a movie or the size of a part - it's character. I like to find characters.

I don't want to play everything. So I'll seek out roles that I'll say, 'This is edgy. This is fun. This is wicked. This suits me.'

I don't mind playing the same character, but if it's not well done, then I'm not interested.

It's hard to actually take details from your personal life and apply them a scene because, as much as you can identify with a feeling, you just get muddled. As soon as you start bringing your own stuff in, it's like, 'No, that's not right.' You're playing a different person. You can relate, but you have to leave that stuff at the door.

The strongest moments in my life are when I'm filming. It's an adventure. As an actor I try to seduce someone, try to share something. The rest of my time is spent exploring experiences with women.

I need to make sure that I'm taking roles that I feel like I can communicate through.

As an actor, you get to sort of bounce back and forth in terms of the age range you play and the life experience that your characters have.

I don't go for glamour roles.