Nicolas Cage is “mistaken” for Nick Cave almost every day: “Only one letter separates us”

Nicolas Cage has said he is “mistaken” for his near-namesake Nick Cave “almost every day”.

The cult actor was speaking to The Guardian during the promotion for his new film The Surfer, a psychological thriller in which he plays a man returning to the idyllic beach of his youth with his son, only to be tormented by a conflict with locals that escalates to surreal heights.

Answering a reader’s question, Cage revealed: “I don’t think there’s a day that goes by where I’m not mistaken for Nick Cave.”

Responding to a prompt about the one time that Cage and Cave crossed paths, he added: “I do remember that Cave was very nice. We were at an animal sanctuary, I believe – I think Sealy Animal Hospital in Texas – and he was terrific. I said hello and wanted to shake his hand. I said: ‘Only one letter separates us – G. Nick Cave, Nick Cage.’”

Cage’s experience chimes with comments Cave made in 2022 on his Red Hand Files website. “Like, I’ll be going through customs and the customs officer will look at my passport and say, ‘Happy to have you with us, Mr Cave. Loved you in Face/Off’. Or whatever. Sometimes it can be a bit of a pain in the neck, but you get used to it.”

As well as The Surfer, which is out in cinemas on Friday (May 9), Cage is also starring the new Western film Gunslingers, alongside Stephen Dorff and Heather Graham.

Earlier this year, he and his son Weston were sued by Cage’s ex-girlfriend Christina Fulton, who alleged that she suffered “life-threatening injuries” in a fight last year. Fulton sued Weston for assault and battery and Cage for negligence. Cage’s lawyer described the suit as “absurd”.

“Weston Coppola is a 34-year-old man,” the lawyer said. “Mr Cage does not control Weston’s behavior in any manner and is not responsible for Weston’s alleged assault of his mother.”

Cave, meanwhile, is coming towards the end of his first run of North American dates with The Bad Seeds since 2018, which have included the first live renditions of ‘Skeleton Tree’ in seven years alongside tracks from their acclaimed 2024 album ‘Wild God’.

Before the release of ‘Wild God’ and subsequent live shows, Cave spoke to NME about his outlook on life, and opened up about how he thinks social media contributes towards the pessimistic outlook of younger generations.

“I think social media is a huge problem and is having a huge demoralising effect on society. Young people are losing faith in the world in general and what the world has to offer them. That’s a major problem,” he said. Check out the full interview here.

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