Nicolas Cage’s career has been a rollercoaster ride seeing the number of varied characters he has played over the years. Among his most pivotal roles, his portrayal of a chemical weapons expert in Michael Bay’s renowned $335 million movie stands out. The reason was that it was unlikely that Cage would make a good action hero since he had been largely playing eccentric characters with a hint of action.

Nicolas Cage
Surprisingly, Cage did a wonderful job even though he wasn’t always the first choice for the role. Despite his wonderful performance and critical praise, the Ghost Rider star wasn’t too happy since the makers wouldn’t let him play the ‘macho man’ he wished.

Nicolas Cage’s Reluctance To Play A Comedic Character

Still from the film The Rock
Michael Bay‘s The Rock featured Nicolas Cage playing a nerdy FBI scientist with little to no experience in combat. Even though the film is a straight-action thriller, Cage’s character was supposed to be more on the comedic side, which he had been playing since his debut.

When Cage first came aboard the project, he was expecting his character would be more on the ‘macho side’, and would allow him to finally portray his ‘bada*s’ side. However, he met an unforeseen circumstance where he was to play an ‘inexperienced’ FBI agent and had to improvise the film’s comedic scenes. In an interview, the director once stated,

“Nic didn’t want to do it because he always thought he was a goofball and he wanted to be a serious macho man. When he came to the set, he said, ‘I’ve been working out, I want to have my arm sleeves ripped off.’ I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re an FBI agent who’s never used a gun. You’re a chemical weapons expert.’ But Nic is brilliant in the movie.”

Despite the apprehension and disappointment, the Renfield star unleashed his creativity and infused the character with his unique charm and wit, making Stanley Goodspeed an unconventional yet entertaining action hero.

Before Nicolas Cage, Arnold Schwarzenegger Was The First Choice For The Rock

Arnold Schwarzenegger was the first choice for The Rock
Before Nicolas Cage, Arnold Schwarzenegger was approached for The Rock. However, not liking the script and being on edge about the script quality, the Terminator star decided to let go of it.

The Hollywood legend was not offered the full script but was just told to read snippets of it. Known for being picky when it comes to his projects, Schwarzenegger recalled that he even gave Don Simpson time to complete the script.

However, Simpson walked out on him upset, and the role eventually landed in Nicolas Cage’s basket. The Rock turned out to be a turning point for the Running with the Devil star, proving that he was worthy of playing any character and starring in any genre.

The movie helped Cage shed his ‘eccentric’ identity and helped him star in successful action films like Face/Off and Con Air.