Nicolas Cage admits to accepting 'crummy' film roles to pay off debt

Nicolas Cage has admitted to accepting film roles solely to pay off his debts.

While speaking to 60 Minutes for an interview that aired over the weekend, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent star recalled how he ended up around $6 million (£4.8 million) in debt and unpaid taxes following the real estate market crash in the mid-2000s.

"I was over-invested in real estate. It wasn't because I spent $80 on an octopus. The real estate market crashed, and I couldn't get out in time," Nicolas recalled. "I paid them all back, but it was about $6 million. I never filed for bankruptcy."

Calling the years directly after the crash a "dark" time in his life, the actor noted that booking roles in direct-to-video films kept him afloat.

"Work was always my guardian angel. It may not have been blue chip, but it was still work," the 59-year-old explained. "Even if the movie ultimately is crummy, they know I'm not phoning it in, that I care every time."

Nicolas paid his debts off by 2022.

"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... Some of them were terrific, like (2018 action horror film) Mandy, but some of them didn't work," he told GQ magazine last year.