Fans of Nicolas Cage are often curious about the actor’s relationship with director Francis Ford Coppola. Do the two infamous celebrities share a familial connection? Here’s all you need to know about whether the two are related, and why Cage changed his family name.
Are Nicolas Cage and Francis Ford Coppola related?
Yes, Nicolas Cage and Francis Ford Coppola are related as the latter is Cage’s uncle.
Nicolas Cage is the son of August Coppola and Joy Vogelsang. He is also the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, sharing the connection through his father. He is the youngest of 3 siblings as his brothers are director Christopher Coppola and New York radio personality Marc “The Cope” Coppola.
The Coppola family also includes a few more familiar and talented names from the industry. Cage is also the cousin of film producer Gian-Carlo Coppola, actors Robert and Jason Schwartzman, and directors Roman Coppola and Sofia Coppola. But moving into the industry, he didn’t continue with his family name for a few reasons.
Why did Nicolas Cage change his name from Coppola?
Originally named Nicolas Kim Coppola, Nicolas Cage left the Coppola name behind to get away from unwanted attention and expectations associated with it and wanted to establish his own identity.
At the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (via Deadline), Cage revealed two major reasons why he left the Coppola name behind. He said:
“I did a little movie called Fast Times at Ridgemont High. When I was on set, some of the other actors couldn’t believe I had talent because I was Coppola’s nephew. They would quote lines from Apocalypse Now and change lines to ‘I love the smell of Nicolas in the mornings instead of napalm in the morning.’”
His second reason for changing the name was a strategic one as he believed that directors wouldn’t want his famous family name to overshadow their own. He continued:
“Directors are a pretty egocentric bunch, and they’re a very competitive group. I didn’t think any filmmaker in their own right would want the name Coppola above the title of their movie. So, I changed my name predominantly because of that. I’m blessed to have been born into a family of artists. I think Nick Cage actually sounds better than Nicolas Cage. But I went with Nicolas.”
Looking back at things, it’s safe to say that the prolific actor made a good decision establishing his stage name all those years ago.
For more updates, check out whether Jenna Ortega and Kenny Ortega are related. Also, learn if Pauline Chalamet & Timothée Chalamet are related as brother and sister.
