Nicolas Cage Wants To Quit Acting In Movies & Teases His 'Next Step'

With over 100 acting credits to his name, Nicolas Cage is a prolific actor. His career has seen ebbs and flows, from winning an Academy Award for "Leaving Las Vegas" to starring in predominantly direct-to-DVD fare in the 2000s and early 2010s. His reputation has seen a revival of sorts as of late, with well-received performances in the likes of "Pig" and "Dream Scenario." But fans may not have much longer to see Cage on the big screen. 

When speaking with Uproxx about his career, the actor spoke about how he only wants to do a few more movies, "I feel I've pretty much said what I've had to say with cinema. And I'd like to leave on a high note and say, 'Adios.' I think I have to do maybe three or four more movies before I can get there, and then hopefully switch formats and go into some other way of expressing my acting." Cage continues that he would've liked for "Dream Scenario" to be his final film and go out on a high note, likely due to the superb reviews it's received, but he's already signed onto other projects. However, that doesn't mean Cage is calling quits on acting entirely.

Cage then expressed his interest in moving onto television, "I am very interested in immersion streaming with episodic television. I have seen things that can be done now with characters and the time they're given to express themselves." And there's one show, in particular, that got Cage interested in the idea of jumping ship to TV.

Later in the interview, Nicolas Cage mentioned how his son got him into "Breaking Bad." Apparently, he didn't watch it when it was at the zenith of pop culture a decade ago, but he still absolutely fell in love with it. It even played a big role in getting the actor interested in pursuing television roles, as he said, "I saw Bryan Cranston stare at a suitcase for an hour on one episode of 'Breaking Bad.' We don't have time to do that in a feature film, so maybe television is the next best step for me. We'll see."

However, there's a far more sentimental reason why Cage may be considering the jump to TV: "More importantly, I want to spend some quality time with my family ... If I can find an episodic show to do that stays in one place where I don't have to keep leaving, we can all be together." It's an interesting proposition, seeing how Cage has never really explored television before. He's hosted "Saturday Night Live" in the past, and he worked with Netflix in 2021 by hosting the docuseries, "History of Swear Words." But a proper leading role would suit him well and give him a chance to do something new. 

Cage refers to himself as a student in the Uproxx interview, and by the sound of it, he believes he's learned all there is in film. He's starred in numerous types of movies from horror to Western to comedy. Television is uncharted territory for the performer, and the internet will probably be happy with a Cage-starring TV series as it's likely to lead to a crop of new memes.