Nicolas Cage is at a kind of personal-professional convergence. The experience of campaigning for *Dream Scenario*, a dark meta-comedy in which Cage’s mild-mannered professor starts popping up in strangers’ dreams across the globe, has left him thinking holistically about his filmography.
The prolific star can sense this film is resonating on another level, and that reaction, along with a few other factors, has caused him to rethink his future in Hollywood. “It’s starting to solidify—I’m starting to cement my plan,” he says. The gist: He’s ready to stop making films, revealing, “I may have three or four more movies left in me.”
“I was taking stock of how much time I had left. I thought, ‘Okay, my dad died at 75, I’m going to be turning 60. If I’m lucky, I have maybe a good 15 years and hopefully more. What do I want to do with those 15 years, using my father as the model?’ It occurred very clearly to me that I want to spend time with my family.”
This does not mean Cage is done with acting; he’s slowing down, and hoping to chart new territory. In our interview, he speaks often of “not getting stuck,” and calls his goal as an actor “wanting to explore the edge of screen performance.” He indicates an intention to “switch formats,” with a particular interest in television.
He cites Bryan Cranston’s turn in *Breaking Bad* as an example of the challenge and thrill of episodic acting, developing a character over years. “Maybe it’s time to look at the immersive streaming experience,” he says. “I don’t know. I have to look for the next step and I haven’t found it yet.”
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Let’s get weird*er* to finish it out Nick
***From staff writer David Canfield:***
Nicolas Cage is at a kind of personal-professional convergence. The experience of campaigning for *Dream Scenario*, a dark meta-comedy in which Cage’s mild-mannered professor starts popping up in strangers’ dreams across the globe, has left him thinking holistically about his filmography.
The prolific star can sense this film is resonating on another level, and that reaction, along with a few other factors, has caused him to rethink his future in Hollywood. “It’s starting to solidify—I’m starting to cement my plan,” he says. The gist: He’s ready to stop making films, revealing, “I may have three or four more movies left in me.”
“I was taking stock of how much time I had left. I thought, ‘Okay, my dad died at 75, I’m going to be turning 60. If I’m lucky, I have maybe a good 15 years and hopefully more. What do I want to do with those 15 years, using my father as the model?’ It occurred very clearly to me that I want to spend time with my family.”
This does not mean Cage is done with acting; he’s slowing down, and hoping to chart new territory. In our interview, he speaks often of “not getting stuck,” and calls his goal as an actor “wanting to explore the edge of screen performance.” He indicates an intention to “switch formats,” with a particular interest in television.
He cites Bryan Cranston’s turn in *Breaking Bad* as an example of the challenge and thrill of episodic acting, developing a character over years. “Maybe it’s time to look at the immersive streaming experience,” he says. “I don’t know. I have to look for the next step and I haven’t found it yet.”
***Reddit users can read this story for free here:*** [https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/12/nicolas-cage-interview-dream-scenario-film-career-awards-insider](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/12/nicolas-cage-interview-dream-scenario-film-career-awards-insider)
thank god, I thought this day would never come