When it comes to veteran actors who refuse to be boxed in, Nicolas Cage remains a national treasure.
The Oscar-winning star of Prime Video’s Emmy-winning Spider-Noir series appeared at the 2026 New York Comic Con on Saturday for a deep dive into a career that’s included such memorable films as Moonstruck, Face/Off, Leaving Las Vegas, and Longlegs. Coming up for Cage is Simon West’s WWII historical action adventure film, Fortitude, where he plays real-life spy Duško Popov. He’s also portraying John Madden in the David O. Russell-directed biopic, Madden.
But perhaps the biggest moment came when Cage seemingly confirmed that he is going to star in the upcoming fifth season of HBO’s True Detective. “I think I’m probably going to do another season of television,” the actor told the crowd. “I think I might do a season of True Detective.”
As the fans erupted, Cage instantly paused and continued to the audience: “That’s okay that I’m the first to announce that, right?”
Here are some of the other biggest takeaways from the discussion.
Cage believes in craft, experimentation, pushing boundaries… and dreams
The conversation kicked off with Cage talking about how he approaches the craft of acting, and maintains his longevity by experimenting with surrealism and pushing his artistic boundaries. “I wanted to explore what I could do with surrealism with acting, which is why I went into horror,” he said. “So it’s always about learning. It’s trying to find ways of reinvention or honing, or practicing, expanding my palette — if you will — of colors that I can use in my range.”
He added: “Serve with curiosity and you will never be bored.”
Cage said that unlocking a character requires constantly using his imagination—and sometimes even comes directly from the subconscious. For example, his inspiration for one of his upcoming movies, Perish, came to him in a dream where he protected a baby and when he woke up, he realized it was that intense, protective impulse that was the emotional key to his performance, which gave him the perspective he needed to play the character in a way that felt real. “I woke up and I went, ‘I just unlocked how to play the character,’” Cage recalled.
He ensured that Spider-Noir was an AI-free zone
When discussing the recently-cancelled Spider-Noir, Cage detailed how having an eight-episode narrative allowed him the luxury of time to build the character on set. Midway through production, he figured out how the character survives in society by drawing from some of his favorite classic Hollywood idols. “It occurred to me that he’s talking like these old world movie stars because he’s been going to the cinema to train himself to be human again,” Cage said. “That was completely a result of having the luxury of time to develop the character while filming.”
Cage then addressed the rise of artificial intelligence in Hollywood and explained why he refused to sign Amazon’s AI waiver for the project. “Amazon is a very AI-friendly company to the tune of $50 billion invested in OpenAI,” he observed. “I am not an AI-friendly actor, so it’s like, connect those dots! I am not a member of their club… I didn’t sign the waiver to let them use AI on Spider-Noir. I’m probably not going to be working with that studio again, but that’s okay.” (Madden is being released by Prime Video.)
There are characters he’d hate to have as neighbors (and ones he’d call for help)
When asked which of his eccentric characters he would not want living next door to him, Cage didn’t hesitate to answer with his Face/Off antagonist, Castor Troy. “You might get shot,” he warned. After the moderator said he wouldn’t want to live next to Longlegs, Cage agreed, saying: “He could be doing things to you without doing anything.”
Conversely, Cage had an easy answer for who he’d reach out to if he were in trouble and needed backup: “I’m calling Ghost Rider.”
Unpacking the Ghost Rider stare and comic book roots
Speaking of Ghost Rider, Cage delved into his experience playing the Marvel Comics anti-hero Johnny Blaze in the 2007 movie followed by the 2012 sequel. He explained the philosophical weight behind the superhero’s popular “Penance Stare.”
“It was just a matter of almost being a mirror, trying to have an openness where the, I guess the victim in this case would see their own mistakes,” Cage said. “We all have mistakes that we’ve made, and in that moment, Ghost Rider is karma, specifically karma.”
When the moderator enthusiastically pitched that fans would love to see Cage suit up again for a future Marvel installment, Cage brushed off the MCU rumor mill with a laugh. (Marvel Studios recently announced that it would be releasing a new Ghost Rider film, but this time with Ryan Gosling in the driver’s seat.) “Well, that’s very kind of you,” Cage said. “I’m not really in that club.”
The moderator countered that Cage didn’t need to join their club because he already sits in a league of his own: “They’re trying to join your side!” Cage ultimately tied the complement back to his lifelong love of comic books, noting how reading titles featuring characters like Ghost Rider at a young age taught him that something scary could still fight for good, sparking his love for tonal whiplash, dark humor, and multi-genre storytelling.
Understanding the Pedro Pascal meme and the art of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
When asked about social media, Cage reflected on his popularity in internet culture via GIFs and memes, and admitted that there are some viral moments he just doesn’t understand. He’s specifically confused about the meme that features a scene from The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent where he and his co-star, Pedro Pascal, are looking at each other and Pascal smiles at him.
“He’s got a stupid smile and I’ve got a stupid smile,” Cage said. “What’s the big deal?” As for playing a fictionalized version of himself in that film, Cage clarified where the line was drawn between art and reality.
“To me, that version of me is not me,” Cage said. “That is a very heightened anxiety-filled Nic Cage… I am non-anxiety-filled. And then Nic Cage doesn’t want to spend time with his daughter? That’s not okay. I love being with my daughter.”
Cage… Nicolas Cage
Playfully asked by the moderator who he would pick to play the new James Bond, Cage joked that he was too old and not British. But the conversation naturally transitioned into his real-life bond with one of the former 007s, the late Sean Connery. The two actors starred opposite each other in Michael Bay’s much-loved 1996 action movie The Rock, and Cage had fond memories of his time with Connery.
But he also had one big regret about their friendship — they never got to play a round of gold together. “Sean wanted to get me on the golf course,” Cage said. “We had a great relationship. He was very abundant. He was somebody that I considered a friend … But I never went on the golf course because I just didn’t have time for that. I just wanted to be on my boat. That was when I had my free time. I wanted to go fishing, and I feel to this day that I should have taken him up on it and learned how to golf.”
