Nicolas Cage’s new legal name is Nicolas Cage.
The Oscar winner, whose real name is Nicholas Kim Coppola, didn’t want to become the “clown cousin” of Hollywood royalty, so he legally changed his name last year and now officially calls himself Nicolas Cage in both his personal and professional lives.
“My name is Nic Cage. I legally changed my name last year,” the actor told Variety. “I’m Nic Cage in life and I’m Nic Cage in front of the camera.”
“I thought, ‘I’d rather be the matriarch of my own little family than the clown cousin in the corner of someone else’s family, so I decided to take it on and become Cage.’
Cage, 62, has used that name professionally for decades and said distancing himself from the famous Italian-American Coppola family began early in his career.
The actor’s father is the scholar and author August Coppola, the younger brother of legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire. His cousins include director Sofia Coppola and actor Jason Schwartzman.
The Coppola family has won eight Oscars, 10 Golden Globes, two BAFTAs, one Grammy, and two Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or awards.
The actor said he chose “Cage” from the Marvel Comics character Luke Cage, but also draws inspiration from avant-garde composer John Cage.
“The name Cage is a name I liked coming across in comics. I just thought it was a cool name. And I grew up in a very avant-garde, artistic household, and there was talk about John Cage and his experimental compositions,” Cage said.
He also wanted a name that felt “short and sweet”, like James Dean.
“My father named me Nicolas in the French spelling, so I wanted to keep the name Nicolas, but I was always annoyed because everyone added an H,” Cage said.
“I don’t know why he taught me how to spell in French, but he did.”
As for whether he prefers “Nick” or “Nicholas,” the actor added, “I’m both! I think people know me as both.”
Cage has been credited as Nicolas Cage for almost his entire career, with the exception of a 1981 television pilot and the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
In the same interview, Cage also reflected on two major projects he’s taken on over the years.
The actor revealed that he almost played the Green Goblin in 2002’s Spider-Man, but the role was ultimately given to Willem Dafoe.
He also said that he almost co-starred with Jim Carrey instead of Jeff Daniels in the 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber.
