Cage: Uniqueness is criticised

Nicolas Cage thinks artists who create something unique are often criticised.

The 50-year-old won an Academy Award for his whacked out performance as an alcoholic in 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas.

Nicolas has since taken on extremely diverse roles, as he attempts to avoid conformity at all costs.

“I think if someone does something really unique they are going to get criticised and are not going to win awards,” he explained to British newspaper The Independent.

“A lot of my heroes in the past, like Edvard Munch and Stravinsky, were heavily criticised for being different. These are people that broke the mould. Sometimes when you are getting criticised you may be doing something right, by virtue of the fact that you are getting someone to think. It’s not always best to be loved. Sometimes it’s good to be hated, because you have done something that has got under their skin.”

Nicolas is the nephew of famous filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.

Although in his early career he took on parts in some of his uncle’s movies, like Peggy Sue Got Married, the actor made a point to create a career without relying on his family name.

“I have to be careful about what I say. I am still legally Nicholas Coppola but I am Nicolas Cage. I had to reinvent myself,” the star explained. “I love my family and I love all their accomplishments. I have great respect and admiration for each and every one of them. The thing is, for me as a young actor going into casting offices it was all about that. In auditions there was pressure. As soon as I went into the casting office under a new name and they didn’t know that there was a connection, I got the part. I felt liberated. It gave me the freedom to become what I wanted to be in my dreams.”