Nicolas Cage admits valuing ‘film performance’ over ‘memes’

Nicolas Cage talked about his motive for acting, and his most preferable art form.

The actor is among the most well-liked actors on the internet. Videos of and homages to his legendary performances are continuously posted on social media sites such as X/Twitter and Reddit.

If googled “Nicolas Cage memes,” you'll find list after list honoring the actor who won an Oscar. But for Cage, though, all of this viral fame comes second.

“I got into acting because I was moved by film performance more than any other art form. I didn’t get into movies to become a meme,” Cage revealed to The Guardian on his press tour for A24’s Dream Scenario, which opens in theatres this month.

Adding, “That was new. I made friends with it but it was an adjustment. I thought maybe [the memes] would compel someone to go back and look at the movies. But I had no control over it. The same thing happens with Paul in ‘Dream Scenario’: he has no control over this inexplicable phenomenon.”

In Dream Scenario, Nicolas Cage plays a college professor who, for some reason, starts showing up in strangers' dreams and instantly becomes famous. However, when the public starts to see him in a horrifying way, his celebrity status becomes problematic.