The actor explains his understanding of his own celebrity, and why he never stops working.

Nicolas Cage attends the German Sustainability Award 2016 (Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis) at Maritim Hotel on November 25, 2016. Cage recently opened up in an interview about his cult internet status. (Photo by Sascha Steinbach/Getty Images)
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Nicolas Cage continues to work prolifically on movie sets, and as a result the 54-year-old actor continues to be both a much-caricatured and celebrated screen legend.

With the release of Mandy, another independent horror film, the artist formerly known as Nic Coppola opened up about how he sees his own acting and his cult status on the internet.

“All I care about is the transformation so I never think: ‘Is this ridiculous?’ Cage told The Guardian, regarding the common charge that his style goes over the top. “Even though… sometimes it is!” he continued jokingly.

That style has turned him into one of the biggest targets of memes in internet history, a fact that Cage takes in stride. “It goes both ways. [The internet supercuts] kept me relevant to a generation that is entirely about YouTube.

On the other hand, these larger-than-life facial expressions are made into something called memes,” Cage said. “But I don’t have any umbrage about it,” the movie star assured The Guardian.

He also explained his commitment to working all the time, and his appreciation for smaller films for letting him do that. “If I don’t have somewhere to go in the morning and a job to do, it can be very self-destructive,” Cage said.