Nicolas Cage has prompted sarcastic reactions online after revealing that his four-year-old daughter, August, is his biggest priority. Some social media users suggested that the actor was simply describing the basic responsibilities of being a parent.
The 62-year-old made the comments during an interview with People at the premiere of his new film Madden in Culver City, California, on Wednesday, 4 November. Speaking about how he balances his career with family life, Cage said that raising August is the common focus he shares with his wife, Riko Shibata.
'The Priority Is Our Daughter'
'The priority is our daughter, and that's our common ground, and that's our focus,' he told the publication. He added that when he returns home from work, he leaves his professional role behind and becomes a father.
'When I go home, I come home, and I'm dad. We're both there for her,' Cage said.
The interview was shared on Reddit. The actor's remarks attracted a mixture of jokes, criticism and supportive responses. One commenter summed up the reaction with the sarcastic line, 'Man parents own child - more at 11.'
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Another user questioned why the statement was being treated as news, while a separate commenter pointed out that Cage is 62 and has a four-year-old daughter. Others appeared less interested in criticising him than in discussing the age difference between the actor and his youngest child.
A Divide in Celebrity Coverage
Not everyone agreed with the mockery. One Reddit user defended Cage, arguing that people were making fun of him for giving an honest answer during an interview. Another commenter noted that, given his age and the fact that he has adult children, it was understandable that he would want to make the most of raising his youngest daughter.
The comments reflect a familiar divide in celebrity coverage: some readers find ordinary remarks from famous people unremarkable, while others see no reason to ridicule a parent for expressing affection for a child.
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August Francesca Coppola Cage is Cage's daughter with his fifth wife, Japanese actress Riko Shibata. The couple welcomed their first child together in September 2022. Cage and Shibata married in February 2021 in a small ceremony in Las Vegas.
August is the actor's youngest child. He also has two adult sons from previous relationships: Weston, 35, whom he shares with former partner Christina Fulton, and Kal-El, 21, with his former wife Alice Kim.
Embracing Fatherhood Again
Cage has spoken about looking forward to becoming a father again. In 2022, before August was born, he told Access Hollywood that he was excited to return to the everyday experiences of raising a young child.
'My boys are all grown up, and I miss going to the toy store. I miss singing lullabies and rocking in the rocking chair,' he said at the time.
The actor's latest comments also offer a glimpse into how he separates his professional and personal lives. Despite decades in Hollywood and a career spanning independent films, blockbusters and award-winning performances, Cage described his role at home in straightforward terms: he is August's dad.
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A Private Family Life
Cage has generally kept his family life relatively private, although he has occasionally shared small details about his daughter. In 2023, he told People that August would wear a Supergirl cape for her first birthday.
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His latest interview came as he promoted Madden, in which he plays legendary American football coach and broadcaster John Madden. The film's premiere allowed reporters to ask about his work, but the conversation also turned to the family life he returns to when filming ends.
For some Reddit users, the actor's declaration that his daughter comes first was simply an obvious part of parenthood. Others saw it as a harmless expression of a father's priorities. Either way, Cage's remarks offered a rare, if brief, look at the family life he usually keeps out of the spotlight.
