Nicolas Cage has undoubtedly been an indispensable talent in Hollywood for so long. Indeed, from beginning his acting journey with the 1981 television series, The Best of Times, to 2022’s western-drama Butcher’s Crossing, the actor has proved his chops with each role in the four decades of his career. Obviously, there will be many more to come. In a career as varied and storied as his, it is naturally hard to pick the most iconic roles, but, in settling some harmless fan debates, Castor Troy from Face/Off, H.I. McDunnough from Raising Arizona, and Cameron Poe from Con Air have always been held in high esteem among fans and critics likewise (via BuzzFeed).

As is the case with any actor, Cage has also had to turn down several roles in his journey. Though many of these rejected roles wound up major cinematic disasters, some parts could have brought a different spin to Cage’s career. And while the past is past, we can’t help but dwell on the what-ifs and wonder what could have been had Case played these movie roles. Indeed, here is a rundown of six movies that almost cast Nicolas Cage.

6 Fast Times at Ridgemont High

     Universal Pictures

Fast Times at Ridgemont High actually did cast Cage — this was effectively his film debut, back in 1982 (he was credited as Nicolas Coppola) — however, he was originally up for a different, more starring role. The reason he didn’t end up being cast as initially planned is simple: Cage was not 18 at that time and was therefore not legally allowed to work late at night. Nonetheless, not too long after, Cage’s career exploded, and gradually turned him into a high-demand actor, earning him several Golden Globes, Academy Award, and Screen Guild Award nominations.

5 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

     Focus Features

It has almost been two decades since the release of the romantic sci-fi drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film, starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey in the lead as Clementine and Joel, respectively, gave a different spin on a love story by introducing the unique yet unachievable concept of clinically erasing one’s memories. While the movie was a critical and box office success, with flawless acting, it might surprise fans that the character of Joel was initially offered to Cage, but he passed on the part due to unavailability following his impeccable performance as Ben in Leaving Las Vegas (1995). No doubt, things turned out for the best for Carrey as well, as he netted a Golden Globe nomination for his performance here.

4 Dumb and Dumber

     New Line Cinema

Dumb and Dumber saw the iconic pair of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels taking the audience on a comical journey following their good-hearted yet stupid characters’ encounter with a briefcase full of money. While both the actors did a flawless job playing their roles, Carrey had always hoped for Cage to play the role of Harry. Especially when the duo had expressed their intention to work together for so long. Sadly, Cage decided to not pursue Dumb and Dumber and instead stuck to his lead role in Leaving Las Vegas. Obviously, Cage was right to choose Leaving Las Vegas as the film earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor category.

3 Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four, no doubt, cooked up the scary and deadly Doctor Doom for all the Marvel Comics lovers. Surprisingly, before Julian McMahon played the role, Cage was originally cast. In fact, with Cage cast, the character of Doom — and the film as a whole, for that matter — were intended to be deadlier and darker than ever. Sadly, this did not happen, which worked in Cage’s favor as Fantastic Four was a critical bomb.

2 The Lord of the Rings

It is impossible for the die-hard fans of The Lord of the Rings to imagine any actor but Viggo Mortensen playing Aragorn in the franchise. Though this could easily have been possible, had Cage, who was initially offered the role, agreed to play the part. But as fans are aware, this did not happen, and Mortensen enigmatically carried the weight of the character through three-part of the franchise. Interestingly, Cage rejected the part as he did not want to stay away from his family for three years (as filming the trilogy took place consecutively in New Zealand). While the decision did wonders for The Lord of the Rings franchise and Mortensen, a tiny part of us will always wonder what could have happened had Cage played Aragorn.

1 The Matrix

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Another iconic role that Cage turned down for the sake of spending time with his family was Neo in the fabled The Matrix franchise. In an interview with People, Cage said, “There’s no version of Nic Cage that didn’t put family first over career. I turned down Lord of the Rings and I turned down Matrix because I didn’t want to go to New Zealand for three years or Australia for three years because I needed to be home with my son Weston, that’s a fact.” Well, no doubt, Cage has his priorities straight when it comes to his life, and naturally, we respect him for such high ethos. Nevertheless, Keanu Reeves was ultimately offered the role of Neo, and frankly, now fans cannot imagine any other face than Reeves in the role.