Nicolas Cage says he accepted dozens of VOD movie roles to keep his ‘mother out of a mental institution’

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Nicolas Cage has defended starring in so many straight-to-VOD films, while explaining what he spent the money on.

In between more well-known roles in films like Mandy and Pig, the actor racked up dozens of credits in films that bypassed cinema releases and became available to rent at home without much fanfare.

These films arrived amid reports that the actor spent the entirety of his $150m fortune and was in deep debt after owing the IRS property taxes of $6.3m.

Now, in a new interview with GQ, Cage explained the basis behind accepting the roles stemmed from a refusal to file for bankruptcy.

“I’ve got all these creditors and the IRS and I’m spending $20,000 a month trying to keep my mother out of a mental institution, and I can’t,” he said, adding: “It was just all happening at once.”

However, while acknowledging that some of the films “didn’t work”, the Oscar winner said he stands by every performance he gave.

“When I was doing four movies a year, back to back to back, I still had to find something in them to be able to give it my all,” he said. “Some of them were terrific, like Mandy, but some of them didn’t work. But I never phoned it in. So if there was a misconception, it was that – that I was just doing it and not caring. I was caring.”

Many shared Cage’s’ quotes on social media, commending the actor for his honesty and also praising him for his acting skills. Nightmare Alley director Guillermo del Toro wrote: “He absolutely never, ever does anything but his best - I’ve said it before: there has not been, nor will there ever be an actor like Nicolas Cage. A master.”

Elijah Wood shared del Toro’s tweet, adding: “Couldn’t agree more!”

In the same interview, Cage also suggested that Disney, who distributed the National Treasure films, turned its back on Cage following the flop of his films The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

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“When I talk about fair-weather friends in Hollywood, I’m not talking about Jerry Bruckheimer,” Cage said, referring to the National Treasure producer. “I’m talking about Disney. They’re like an ocean liner. Once they go in a certain direction, you’ve got to get a million tugboats to try to swivel it back around.”

GQ states that Cage “finished paying off all his debts” a head of appearing in his forthcoming film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which he plays a fictionalised version of himself.

The film will be released on 22 April.