Nicolas Cage may have one of the most notable names in Hollywood, but did you know it’s not the moniker he was given when he was born? That’s right, this is one star who took on a pseudonym before he got famous. Now, he’s revealed that he legally changed his name last year and opened up about why it was important for him to do so.
Nicolas Cage Is No Longer a Coppola
GettyOn January 7, 1964, Joy Vogelsang welcomed a son into the world with her husband, August Coppola, who was the brother of film director Francis Ford Coppola. The newborn was given the name Nicolas Kim Coppola. Eventually, the baby grew up to be Nicolas Cage.
Nicolas’ “stage name was inspired by none other than Luke Cage, a decision heâd made to avoid charges of nepotism as the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola,” according to Variety.
During a new interview, Variety talked to the star about how he’s known, saying, “Giving yourself the name of a superhero â ‘Cage,’ after Luke Cage â is interesting. How has that name affected you? Is it strange to still be known as ‘Nicolas Cage?’”
“No. I am Nick Cage,” he said in response. “I changed my name legally last year. Iâm Nick Cage in life, and Iâm Nick Cage on camera.”
“âTis better to be the patriarch of my own little family than the clown cousin on the margins of someone elseâs, so I decided Iâm going to bring it on and be ‘Cage,’” he explained.
“‘Cage’ is a name that I liked coming across in the comics â I just thought he had a cool name â and I grew up in a very avant-garde, artsy family and there was talk about John Cage and the experimental compositions that he did,” Nicolas continued.
He also noted, ” I was looking for something like ‘James Dean’; I was looking for something short and sweet. I thought, well, Iâll keep the name ‘Nicolas’ because my father named me Nicolas â with French spelling, which has always frustrated me, because everyone adds an ‘h.’ I donât know why he gave me the French spelling! But he did.”
At that point, Variety pointed out, “It does sound like a superhero.”
The actor asked if the interviewer meant “Nick Cage or Nicolas Cage,” and when the publication clarified that they were referring to “Nick Cage,” the star replied, “I think so. You think I shouldâve shaved it off and just made it ‘Nick?’ Iâm both! I think people know me as both.”
There Are Various Coppolas in Show Business
GettyNicolas Cage and Francis Ford Coppola are only two of the famous figures in their family. Indeed, People mentions that the “Coppola family has a long legacy of filmmaking â including legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, his sister Talia Shire, his three children Gian-Carlo, Roman and Sofia Coppola, granddaughter Gia Coppola and nephews Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman.”
Just to give you an idea of how embedded in Hollywood history this family happens to be, just consider the fact that along with the achievements of both Nicolas and Francis, the director’s daughter, Sofia, has an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, among plenty of other top accolades.
She won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay thanks to her work on “Lost in Translation” (2003), and went on to bring other popular movies to the screen throughout the following years, from “Marie Antoinette” (2006) to “Priscilla” (2023).
That’s not to overlook the fact that Talia played Connie Corleone in “The Godfather” trilogy and Adrian Pennino Balboa in the “Rocky” movies. You’ll surely recognize her son, Jason, from films like “Rushmore” (1998) and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” (2010), among many others.
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