Nicolas Cage legally changes name and distances himself from the Coppola family
Actor Nicolas Cage, 62, revealed that he legally changed his name. The star was born Nicolas Coppola, but adopted the name Cage early in his career because he wanted to distance himself from his famous relatives, including his uncle, renowned director Francis Ford Coppola. In an interview with Variety magazine, he said that the change will take legal effect in 2025.
"I legally changed my name last year. I'm Nick Cage in real life and I'm Nick Cage on camera." said.
"It's better to be the patriarch of my own little family than to be the clown cousin on the margins of someone else's family, so I decided to step up and be Cage."
The actor explained that the name "Cage" was inspired by the comic book character Luke Cage, and revealed that he wanted a name that was "short and direct" like James Dean.
"Cage is a name I liked coming across in comics, I thought he had a cool name, and I grew up in a very avant-garde and artistic family, where people talked about [composer/artist] John Cage and his experimental compositions."
The American also explained why he kept his first name and its unusual spelling in the United States.
"I thought, well, I'll keep the name Nicolas because my father gave me that name, with the French spelling, which always frustrated me, because everyone adds an 'h'."
The actor plays the superhero Spider-Noir in the new Prime Video series of the same name, which premiered last Wednesday (27) on the platform. The character marks Nicolas' first leading role on television.
When asked if he believes the name Nick Cage sounds like the name of a superhero, he responded: "I think so. Do you think I should have cut it and left it just Nick? I'm both! I think people know me as both," he added.
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The Coppolas are a successful film family, with members in different areas of the industry - CNN Montage
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Francis Ford Coppola - Vivien Killilea/Getty Images
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Sofia Coppola at the Venice Film Festival - Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
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Nicolas Cage at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival - Daniele Venturelli/WireImage
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Jason Schwartzman in "The Hunger Games: A Song of Birds and Snakes" - Disclosure
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Taila Shire in "The Godfather" - Disclosure
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Remember controversies involving productions by Francis Ford Coppola
Source: CNN