While Nicolas Cage and Johnny Depp have yet to star together onscreen, their friendship dates back to the ’80s. Speaking about their early history, the Spider-Noir star recalled that despite Depp initially arriving in Los Angeles not wanting to like him, largely because they were dating the same woman at the time, the Pirates of the Caribbean star eventually came around, with Cage remembering Depp saying, “I like Nic… I can’t not like him.”

Financially, however, Depp wasn’t in the best place, and at one point, the Pirates star allegedly resorted to stealing money from Cage to buy drinks (via Variety).

We became very good friends, and we were playing Monopoly one day. He was having a very hard time financially — he was selling pens, I believe, and I let him live in my apartment, but then he started stealing my money to buy drink

This didn’t contribute to any friction between the two, as Cage chose to help Depp with his financial struggles by pushing him into the realm of acting.

Nicolas Cage Convinced Johnny Depp to Become an Actor

Prior to becoming one of the most celebrated actors of his generation, Johnny Depp originally aimed to become a musician. His passion even pushed him to drop out of high school and move to Los Angeles, where he found himself struggling financially.

At the time, Cage urged Depp to try acting, and despite the latter’s initial hesitancy, the Spider-Noir star successfully convinced Depp to meet with his agent. Recounting the incident, Cage told Variety:

I said, “Why don’t you just try acting?” And he said, “I can’t act.” And I said, “Yeah, you can. Why don’t you just go meet with my agent?” And he met with my agent, and the rest is history. He was an “overnight sensation,” as they say.

Cage, however, didn’t take any credit for Depp’s success, as the Oscar winner previously described this incident as one small step in Depp’s whole career. 

Johnny Depp Offered to Bail Out Nicolas Cage During Financial Woes

A still from Lord of War | Credit: Lionsgate

Despite his stardom in the ’90s, the late 2000s saw Cage in the midst of his own financial turmoil after the housing market crashed, which squandered most of his fortune.

Although the debt Cage accumulated as a result prompted the actor to star in a string of B and C-grade movies out of necessity, Depp reportedly proposed the prospect of helping him bail out at the time. One source at the time noted (via Digital Spy):

Johnny feels he owes his career to Nicolas and now wants to repay him – if Nicolas agrees. Johnny has never forgotten what Nic did for him.

Although Cage reportedly declined Depp’s offer of help, the two still appear to remain on good terms, and hopefully, we’ll see them share the screen someday

Share your thoughts on their friendship below!
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