Here’s Why Nicholas Cage Said ‘No’ After Pedro Pascal Suggested He Join the ‘Star Wars’ Universe
Nicolas Cage is one of the biggest and most popular actors of his generation. The star has been in several projects over the years, and although he still has more to give, it looks like he simply isn’t interested in visiting “a galaxy far, far away.” Here’s why Cage said “no” after Pedro Pascal suggested he join the Star Wars universe.
Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal’s chemistry in ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’
Cage stars as a fictionalized version of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Pascal plays a wealthy Cage superfan who invites the actor to attend his birthday party in exchange for $1 million. The offer comes at the perfect time for the actor, who is down on his luck and could use the money.
Cage and Javi instantly hit it off, but the actor learns that his new friend is a notorious ruthless drug lord who has roped Cage’s daughter and ex-wife into the craziness. Cage decides to partner with the CIA and play some of his most famous characters to bring down his criminal friend.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent premiered in April 2022 to positive critical reviews. Pascal and Cage’s chemistry was a high point of the film, and helped it garner an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, the film performed abysmally at the box office, earning a measly $29 million against its $30 million budget.
Nicolas Cage isn’t interested in being in ‘Star Wars’
Since they graced the screen together, fans have been begging for Pascal and Cage to reunite for another project, and Pascal had a perfect idea. During a 2023 interview with Yahoo!, Pascal confirmed that he previously asked the Ghost Rider actor to join him in The Mandalorian. “I already suggested it. I already said he would make a great Mandalorian,” Pascal said.
However, as excited as Pascal is for Cage to join him in the Star Wars universe, the 59-year-old actor has other things in mind. Kevin Polowy of Yahoo! relayed Pascal’s request to Cage in a recent interview asking him if Star Wars was in his future.
The actor shut down the request saying, “No… I’m not really down.” As it turns out, Cage’s loyalty belongs to another major space-faring franchise. “I’m a Trekkie man. I’m on the Enterprise. That’s where I roll,” the Renfield actor said during the interview.
“I grew up watching [William] Shatner,” Cage also said, adding, “I thought [Chris] Pine was terrific.”
“I like the political and the sociological [messages],” the actor continued. He went on to later praise the sci-fi franchise for its ability to bend reality “without people just jumping on you.”
‘Star Wars’ isn’t the only franchise Nicolas Cage has turned down
Cage told The Hollywood Reporter in 2022 that he turned down two huge roles in his career because he didn’t want to be away from his son. The actor revealed he turned down the offer to play Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring because it required him to spend about three years in New Zealand filming.
Cage also revealed that he was approached for the role of Neo in The Matrix but had to give it up because it meant he would be away from his family as the movie was shooting in Australia.
