Nic Cage is over his Oscar

Nicolas Cage tries to keep "the totems in the past".

The 50-year-old actor won the 1996 best actor Oscar for his role in Leaving Las Vegas, but he doesn't dwell on that.

He prefers to focus on where his career his heading nowadays, as well as his friends and family. The star has eight-year-old son Kal-El with his wife Alice and wants to keep things normal for the boy.

"I’m a regular at-home dad to him - not some movie star. I play with him, go out with him; do all those parent-child things like any other father. I don’t play my old movies. Don’t look to make him see them. Don’t talk about those old days. I intend to maintain a normal, natural home life. I try to look at the future, not the past," he explained to New York Post.

"The same with my Oscar. I’m living today. I’m a parent. I keep the totems away. My awards are safe. But they’re not in my home. The totems are in the past."

The actor also has grown-up son Weston with his ex-partner Christina Fulton.

Nicolas also reminisced about the beginning of his career. The star always knew he wanted to act, but actually initially attempted to appear on a TV show. The Dating Game saw a single lady question three guys who she couldn't see, then select one to go out with. Major stars such as Jim Carrey and Tom Selleck were on the series, with Nicolas determined to appear.

"My first audition I was underage. Only 15. Even that young I tried to be accepted on The Dating Game," he explained. "I used to love seeing that, and always somehow managed to, although my father said I couldn’t watch it. Anyhow, he wouldn’t let me do the show.”