Nicolas Cage wants to be referred to as a thespian rather than an actor

Nicolas Cage prefers to be called a “thespian” rather than an “actor”.

The 57-year-old Academy Award winner – who earned himself a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his performances – doesn’t like the word “actor” because it implies he's a “great liar”, so he likes to be called a “thespian” instead.

He said: “For me it always implies, ‘Oh, he’s a great actor, therefore he’s a great liar.'

“So with the risk of sounding like a pretentious a******, I like the word ‘thespian’ because thespian means you’re going into your heart, or you’re going into your imagination, or your memories or your dreams, and you’re bringing something back to communicate with the audience.”

The Golden Globe Award winner went on to discuss his acting methods, which to some people have been perceived as “over the top”, but to Cage there is no such thing.

He said: “Well, when they say that to me, I say, ‘You tell me where the top is and I’ll tell you whether or not I’m over it.’ ”

In an attempt to break free from the acting stereotypes, he sought advice from his Aunt Talia, who he credits for introducing him to “naturalism” and compared his different styles of acting to different styles of art.

Speaking on the latest episode of the ‘Variety Awards Circuit' podcast, he added: “I was also a big believer in arts synchronicity, and that what you could do with one art form you could do and another meaning. You know, in painting, for example, you can get abstract, you can get photorealistic, you can get impressionistic, why not try that with film performance?”