Nicolas Cage legally has a new name, but it's not what you might expect.

In an interview with Variety published Wednesday (May 27), the Spider-Noir actor, 62, explained he changed his name last year from Nicolas Kim Coppola to Nicolas Cage, the stage name he has used throughout his storied career, to literally make a name for himself outside of his famous family.

"I am Nick Cage. I changed my name legally last year," he said. "I'm Nick Cage in life, and I'm Nick Cage on camera. 'Tis better to be the patriarch of my own little family than the clown cousin on the margins of someone else's, so I decided I'm going to bring it on and be 'Cage.'"

The National Treasure star, son of August Coppola, has several famous relatives, including his uncle, famed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, and his cousins, filmmaker Sofia Coppola and Asteroid City actor Jason Schwartzman, per People.

Cage, who confirmed he goes by both Nick and Nicolas, drew inspiration for his new surname through Marvel Comics character Luke Cage as well as avant-garde artist John Cage but chose to keep his first name the same.

"I thought, well, I'll keep the name 'Nicolas' because my father named me Nicolas — with French spelling, which has always frustrated me, because everything adds an 'h,'" he said. "I don't know why he gave me the French spelling! But he did."

Cage isn't the only star who has legally adopted their stage name. Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul, born Aaron Paul Sturtevant, dropped his original last name in 2022, officially cementing the moniker he has been using for years.

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