Nicolas Cage is one of Hollywood's hottest stars, but he refuses to be stereotyped, and is constantly taking on challenging roles. In his latest film, Nicolas plays a treasure hunter who is in hot pursuit of a mythical treasure that has been passed down for centuries. It's an action adventure that promises lots of thrills. Nicolas recently got married to Alice Kim, a waitress he met in a restaraurant - he had previous marriages to actress Patricia Arquette and singer Lisa Marie Presley.
Why were you intrigued by the role of Benjamin Franklin Gates in National Treasure?
It was the idea of a man going in and stealing the Declaration of Independence. The character is audacious and he's bold. And I got to do it in a tuxedo! Director Jon Turteltaub kept pushing it towards a stylisation, not unlike what Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart might've done back in the 1930s or 1940s.
Are you obsessed with achieving one thing, as your character is in real life?
Yes, I have had my obsessions. Gates certainly is a character who is obsessed with this marvellous treasure and has devoted his life to figuring out how to find it in the face of great ridicule. I think I've been obsessed over the years with where I could go with acting or how I could challenge myself.
Would you engage in any bizarre behaviour to do a role these days?
Not now. If you'd checked with me when I was 18, I did it - eating that cockroach in Vampire's Kiss. Now I don't think it's worth it. I want to keep a happy balance between life and work.
A lot of Americans are feeling discontent with America right now; and there's a strong sense of patriotism in the film. Do you see any parallels?
This isn't by any means an historical movie; it's still very much an adventure film. I don't want to take any political grandstand here but I do feel that there's something to learn from what the Founding Fathers did. They were geniuses and it's amazing that they created philosophies and rules by which we still live today.
Were you a student of early American history and the Constitution?
I was more into the Roman Empire. I was fascinated by the Civil War though.
This film is rife with legends and myths about early American history. Are you attracted to folklore?
I like anything that makes you wonder and that isn't spelt out for you. I was watching a programme about unusual animals on the Discovery Channel recently and scientists are convinced that somewhere in Tibet there is a short red-haired two-legged ape man. I'd like to go meet this guy.
What did you do to let off steam when you weren't shooting?
Justin (Bartha) and Diane (Kruger) both have wild senses of humour. We'd go and do karaoke and be completely ridiculous which helped the chemistry between the three of us. I think I sang Rage Against The Machine and some AC/DC and Sex Pistols.
Based on your karaoke choices, it seems that you are a hard rock music person. What were you listening to as a kid?
My father was a strong advocate of classical music and so was my family. Carmine Coppola, my grandfather, was a terrific composer and conductor. This was always around me in the house so I didn't want to offend my father and play rock 'n' roll.
