Nicolas Cage turned down The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent several times

Nicolas Cage turned down a role in 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent' multiple times.

The 58-year-old star plays a fictionalised version of himself in Tom Gormican's upcoming movie but confessed that he had no interest in the movie until he received a letter from the filmmaker.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Nicolas said: "I turned it down three or four times.

"I wanted no part of it. But when I got Tom's letter, then I thought, 'OK, he's not just trying to mock so-called Nick Cage; there is a real interest in some of the earlier work.'

"His tone was more of a celebration of some of (the actor's iconic) moments – like being at the bottom of the pool in 'Leaving Las Vegas' or using the gold guns in 'Face/Off'."

The black comedy sees a down-on-his-luck version of Cage accept a $1 million offer from a wealthy fan (played by Pedro Pascal) to attend a party in Spain. However, he soon finds himself in a real-life action adventure with references to his past movie roles.

Nicolas insists that the character is not particularly close to his real-life persona as he would always put his family before his career.

Asked if character was like his off-screen counterpart, the 'Wild at Heart' star said: "Not very close. And it's hard to put family life aside – that is the biggest departure in Tom's movie.

"I always put my family first and I have turned down some enormous opportunities as a result of that."

Cage recalled: "When I was in a divorce situation (in 2001 from Patricia Arquette), I wouldn't leave (my son) Weston to be in New Zealand for three years shooting 'The Lord of the Rings' or 'The Matrix'. My choice was always wanting to stay in LA and be with my son."

Nicolas also felt that his alter ego was far too sweary in the movie.

He said: "I also said to Tom, 'I don't use that much profanity'. He's got me saying the F-bomb every other sentence. Where's this coming from? That's not me.

"He said, 'Neurotic Nick Cage is the best Nick Cage'. I have a lot of quiet moments at home with just my cat, reading. Do we want to show any of that? No, because it's not fun."