Nicolas Cage Went on a Real-Life Search for the Actual Holy Grail

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The IMDb Studio at The Sundance Film Festival & The IMDb Show on Location at The Sundance Film Festival - Day 1
Nicolas Cage attends The IMDb Studio and The IMDb Show on Location at The Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2018 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Getty Images)

Actor Nicolas Cage sat down for an interview with The New York Times Magazine on Wednesday that was about as bonkers as one could hope for, with a conversation about that time he accidentally purchased a stolen dinosaur skull leading into his description of what he describes as his โ€œgrail quest.โ€

โ€œI started following mythology, and I was finding properties that aligned with that,โ€ Cage said. โ€œIt was almost like National Treasure. โ€ฆ For me it was all about where was the grail? Was it here? Was it there? Is it at Glastonbury?โ€

The actor hadnโ€™t realized he was setting out on such a mission, but various clues and details he uncovered inspired him to continue those threads in hopes of discovery.

โ€œOne thing would lead to another,โ€ Cage continued. โ€œItโ€™s like when you build a library. You read a book, and in it thereโ€™s a reference to another book, and then you buy that book, and then you attach the references. For me it was all about where was the grail? Was it here? Was it there? Is it at Glastonbury? Does it exist?โ€

2018 Sundance Film Festival - "Mandy" Premiere
Nicolas Cage attends the โ€œMandyโ€ Premiere during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival at Park City Library on January 19, 2018 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Getty Images)

He added, โ€œIf you go to Glastonbury and go to the Chalice Well, thereโ€™s a spring that does taste like blood. I guess itโ€™s really because thereโ€™s a lot of iron in the water. But legend had it that in that place was a grail chalice, or two cruets rather, one of blood and one of sweat. But that led to there being talk that people had come to Rhode Island, and they were looking for something as well.โ€

โ€œBut yes, this had put me on a search around different areas, mostly in England, but also some places in the States,โ€ Cage said. โ€œWhat I ultimately found is: What is the Grail but Earth itself?โ€

Other than searching for the Holy Grail, what does Nicolas Cage do in his spare time? Well, after a video of the National Treasure star screeching Princeโ€™s โ€œPurple Rainโ€ into the mic at a karaoke bar hit the tabloids earlier this year, he will not be hitting the town anymore.

Los Angeles Special Screening And Q&A Of "Mandy" At Beyond Fest - Red Carpet
Nicolas Cage at the Egyptian Theatre on September 11, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Getty Images)

โ€œYou go to a karaoke bar with a male friend in the neighborhood, the bar says โ€˜no videotapingโ€™ and suddenly, thereโ€™s two different videos of you doing karaoke,โ€ he said โ€œWho did that? Who exposed the videotape? Who sold it?โ€

The 55-year-old star explained that his viral performance was โ€œmore like a primal-scream therapyโ€ session that he didnโ€™t want to become a viral moment, since it was right around the anniversary of Princeโ€™s death.

YouTube video

โ€œIt was a holiday weekend, and I didnโ€™t want to go anywhere, but my friend who was with me said, โ€˜You canโ€™t sit here in your apartment. Youโ€™ve got to go out.โ€™ So I went to the one place in my neighborhood that I knew had no video recording, just to have some fun, and that became everybodyโ€™s business.โ€

Cage said that nowadays he preferred to stay out of the spotlight and focus on his acting career.

โ€œAt this point in my life โ€ฆ I heavily prefer to not go out. Iโ€™d rather just stay at home,โ€ he said. โ€œI donโ€™t think I can decompress ever again, even at a karaoke bar. Itโ€™s too vulnerable. Iโ€™m not trying to complain. Itโ€™s a fact of life that I have to accept. Iโ€™d much rather let my work and not my personal life speak for me.โ€

2017 Toronto International Film Festival - "Mom And Dad" Premiere
Nicolas Cage attends the โ€œMom and Dadโ€ premiere during the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival at Ryerson Theatre on September 9, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Getty Images)

Check out the amazing full interview at The New York Times Magazine.

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