Nicolas Cage $20 million paycheck gone in 60 seconds: He won an Oscar for ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ and has starred in dramas, thrillers, action flicks and comedies. An all-rounder who continues to shine in Hollywood as an acting genius.
Nicholas Kim Coppola had some heavyweight career successes to live up to when it came to his family. Both his parents were well-respected achievers – his father August was a writer and professor in comparative literature (later to become Dean of Creative Arts at San Francisco State University) and his mother Joy was a renowned ballet dancer and choreographer. Meanwhile, Cage’s uncle is none other than the acclaimed director (of films such as ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’), Francis Ford Coppola.
Cage’s mother suffered from chronic depression and by 1976, his parents had divorced. He attended Beverly Hills High School during his youth – which famously educated many other A-list stars such as Angelina Jolie, David Schwimmer and Lenny Kravitz.
Studying theatre at school as encouraged by his father, Cage began to realise that experience, not education, was going to take him where he wanted to be so he chose to leave school early in order to concentrate on his acting pursuits full-time. Initially being linked with his well-known uncle was beneficial as it landed him a part in Cameron Crowe’s debut film, ‘Fast Times At Ridgemont High’ in 1982 (starring with a herd of soon-to-be-stars including Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Jason Leigh). This was soon followed by a lead role in ‘Valley Girl’ (1983) but his luck began to run dry and after a succession of audition rejections, Coppola decided to wave goodbye to his famous name connections. Worried that many people would judge him prematurely on the basis of his family credentials, Nicolas Coppola became Nicholas Cage, a surname chosen in homage to one his comic book heroes, Luke Cage.
Despite detaching himself from the obvious Coppola line, Cage continued to stay on close terms with his uncle and take advice from him. Cage’s next project, ‘Rumble Fish came about thanks to a minor helping hand from Francis Ford-Coppola and he impressed enough to gain a part in ‘Racing with the Moon’ with another actor climbing the steep ladder to fame – Sean Penn.
Choosing to carry on piggy-backing off his Uncle’s success, Cage was cast in Coppola’s ‘The Cotton Club’ in 1984. After appearing in ‘Birdy’ the same year, he once again returned to the safe helm of Uncle Francis in ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’. This film marked the end of the Uncle-Nephew working relationship though. It has been said that Cage’s chosen acting methods had become extreme (suggested that he had inherited his mother’s odd and often erratic perspective on things). So desperate was he to disappear into a role, Cage often performed in such a bizarre manner that he was seen as too flamboyant for many. Coppola had realised this after Cage’s surreal techniques incurred the wrath of studio executives who disliked his method.
Read more: http://todaycelebritiesnews.com/2011/09/23/nicolas-cage-20-million-paycheck-gone-in-60-seconds/
Nicholas Kim Coppola had some heavyweight career successes to live up to when it came to his family. Both his parents were well-respected achievers – his father August was a writer and professor in comparative literature (later to become Dean of Creative Arts at San Francisco State University) and his mother Joy was a renowned ballet dancer and choreographer. Meanwhile, Cage’s uncle is none other than the acclaimed director (of films such as ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’), Francis Ford Coppola.
Cage’s mother suffered from chronic depression and by 1976, his parents had divorced. He attended Beverly Hills High School during his youth – which famously educated many other A-list stars such as Angelina Jolie, David Schwimmer and Lenny Kravitz.
Studying theatre at school as encouraged by his father, Cage began to realise that experience, not education, was going to take him where he wanted to be so he chose to leave school early in order to concentrate on his acting pursuits full-time. Initially being linked with his well-known uncle was beneficial as it landed him a part in Cameron Crowe’s debut film, ‘Fast Times At Ridgemont High’ in 1982 (starring with a herd of soon-to-be-stars including Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Jason Leigh). This was soon followed by a lead role in ‘Valley Girl’ (1983) but his luck began to run dry and after a succession of audition rejections, Coppola decided to wave goodbye to his famous name connections. Worried that many people would judge him prematurely on the basis of his family credentials, Nicolas Coppola became Nicholas Cage, a surname chosen in homage to one his comic book heroes, Luke Cage.
Despite detaching himself from the obvious Coppola line, Cage continued to stay on close terms with his uncle and take advice from him. Cage’s next project, ‘Rumble Fish came about thanks to a minor helping hand from Francis Ford-Coppola and he impressed enough to gain a part in ‘Racing with the Moon’ with another actor climbing the steep ladder to fame – Sean Penn.
Choosing to carry on piggy-backing off his Uncle’s success, Cage was cast in Coppola’s ‘The Cotton Club’ in 1984. After appearing in ‘Birdy’ the same year, he once again returned to the safe helm of Uncle Francis in ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’. This film marked the end of the Uncle-Nephew working relationship though. It has been said that Cage’s chosen acting methods had become extreme (suggested that he had inherited his mother’s odd and often erratic perspective on things). So desperate was he to disappear into a role, Cage often performed in such a bizarre manner that he was seen as too flamboyant for many. Coppola had realised this after Cage’s surreal techniques incurred the wrath of studio executives who disliked his method.
Read more: http://todaycelebritiesnews.com/2011/09/23/nicolas-cage-20-million-paycheck-gone-in-60-seconds/
