Director says Nicolas Cage was never paid for the film that won him an Oscar

It seems a shiny new Oscar is the one factor Nicolas Cage gained after engaged on the 1995 movie “Leaving Las Vegas.”

Regardless of rising victorious within the Greatest Actor class, Cage — actual title Nicolas Coppola — really didn’t receives a commission for being the lead actor within the movie.

Showing on The Hollywood Reporter’s It Occurred in Hollywood podcast, “Leaving Las Vegas” writer-director Mike Figgis revealed that he, in addition to Cage, didn’t see a lot as a cent hit their financial institution accounts after the movie.

“Nicolas and I by no means received paid,” Figgis stated.

Figgis claims he was due $100,000 for his directing price, which he by no means acquired.

“They stated the movie by no means went into revenue,” he stated of the now-defunct Lumiere Photos, which financed the $4 million movie.

The movie, tailored from the 1990 John O’Brien novel of the identical title, follows Cage’s character Ben Sanderson, a Los Angeles screenwriter who strikes to Las Vegas and endures a grueling battle with alcoholism

It raked in $32 million globally, in accordance with Field Workplace Mojo. The movie was nominated for 4 Academy Awards, together with finest director, best-adapted screenplay, finest actress for Elisabeth Shue, and finest actor for Cage, which he gained.

Figgis isn’t dwelling over the shortage of compensation over 27 years later.

“No matter,” he stated. “I imply, my profession then took off once more, and the subsequent movie I did, I received very well paid. And inside a 12 months (Nic) was incomes $20 million a movie, in order that was fairly good.”

The movie served as a monumental turning level in Cage’s profession, quickly after which he landed roles in “The Rock,” “Con Air,” and “Nationwide Treasure.”

He quickly grew to become the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, but it surely wasn’t lengthy earlier than the enjoyable was over, and he was left owing a whopping $14 million to the IRS, and thousands and thousands extra to different collectors, in accordance with a March profile in GQ.