NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Nicolas Cage turned down the chance to play Green Goblin in 2002’s Spider-Man<\/em>, saying it \u201cwas the right choice\u201d for him at the time<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n- \n\n
Although the role eventually went to Willem Dafoe, Cage said he has always enjoyed balancing both heroes and villains throughout his career<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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Over two decades later, the actor is officially joining the Spider-Man<\/em> universe through the new Prime Video series Spider-Noir<\/em>, which premieres on May 27<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nNicolas Cage<\/a> has spent decades balancing blockbuster heroes with deeply unsettling villains, but there was one antagonist he turned down.<\/p>\nTalking to PEOPLE at the New York City premiere of Spider-Noir, <\/em>Cage admits he declined the opportunity to play the Green Goblin in 2002’s Spider-Man<\/em>.<\/p>\nThe actor says that, at the time, he spoke to director Sam Raimi about the role, but ultimately decided to join the cast of Adaptation<\/em> instead.<\/p>\n\u201cFor me, that was the right choice at the time,\u201d Cage, 62, says.<\/p>\n
Adaptation, <\/em>which also came out in 2002, was directed by Spike Jonze and starred Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper and Tilda Swinton, to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\nWillem Dafoe as the Green Goblin in 2002’s ‘Spider-Man.’
Credit: Columbia\/courtesy Everett Collection<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
After passing on the role of Norman Osborn<\/a> in the superhero flick, it ultimately went to Willem Dafoe<\/a>, whose performance became one of the most memorable villains in superhero movie history.\u00a0<\/p>\nEven so, Cage explained that he has always enjoyed taking on both heroic and sinister characters throughout his career rather than being boxed into one type of role.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve played plenty of villains. I like both,\u201d he explains. \u201cI think they’re both important parts of cinema. I would not want to get trapped into doing one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0<\/strong>PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n![\"Nicolas](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/ECF27E4FB7112D14894AABE181A403D95B24E8CC600E7E875F9D52234155C8BB\/subgraphmysterio\/resizefit_w960_h640;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Faol_people_articles_471%2Ff9793734cdcdbde68368e2d745335b90\"\/)
<\/div>\nNicolas Cage as Ben Reilly in ‘Spider-Noir.’
Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Nevertheless, more than two decades later, Cage is finally getting his own place in the Spider-Man<\/em> universe through Spider-Noir<\/em><\/a>. The live-action comic-book adaptation expands on the character of Ben Reilly, an aging private investigator in 1930s New York City, who Cage previously voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\nCage recently appeared at the New York City premiere of the show, alongside costars Brendan Gleeson<\/a>, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Lukas Haas and Abraham Popoola.\u00a0<\/p>\nWhen discussing the development of his character, Cage tells PEOPLE he wanted to blend classic Hollywood influences with the comic-book world by channeling \u201csome of my favorite old-style actors, [James] Cagney, [Humphrey] Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, and collide them with Stan Lee’s masterpiece, Spider-Man<\/em>, and create something new.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\nCage also shares that much of his preparation came from revisiting older films and trying to capture their \u201caura.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nicolas Cage turned down the chance to play Green Goblin in 2002’s Spider-Man<\/em>, saying it \u201cwas the right choice\u201d for him at the time<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Although the role eventually went to Willem Dafoe, Cage said he has always enjoyed balancing both heroes and villains throughout his career<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Over two decades later, the actor is officially joining the Spider-Man<\/em> universe through the new Prime Video series Spider-Noir<\/em>, which premieres on May 27<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Nicolas Cage<\/a> has spent decades balancing blockbuster heroes with deeply unsettling villains, but there was one antagonist he turned down.<\/p>\n Talking to PEOPLE at the New York City premiere of Spider-Noir, <\/em>Cage admits he declined the opportunity to play the Green Goblin in 2002’s Spider-Man<\/em>.<\/p>\n The actor says that, at the time, he spoke to director Sam Raimi about the role, but ultimately decided to join the cast of Adaptation<\/em> instead.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, that was the right choice at the time,\u201d Cage, 62, says.<\/p>\n Adaptation, <\/em>which also came out in 2002, was directed by Spike Jonze and starred Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper and Tilda Swinton, to name a few.<\/p>\n Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin in 2002’s ‘Spider-Man.’ After passing on the role of Norman Osborn<\/a> in the superhero flick, it ultimately went to Willem Dafoe<\/a>, whose performance became one of the most memorable villains in superhero movie history.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even so, Cage explained that he has always enjoyed taking on both heroic and sinister characters throughout his career rather than being boxed into one type of role.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve played plenty of villains. I like both,\u201d he explains. \u201cI think they’re both important parts of cinema. I would not want to get trapped into doing one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0<\/strong>PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly in ‘Spider-Noir.’ Nevertheless, more than two decades later, Cage is finally getting his own place in the Spider-Man<\/em> universe through Spider-Noir<\/em><\/a>. The live-action comic-book adaptation expands on the character of Ben Reilly, an aging private investigator in 1930s New York City, who Cage previously voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Cage recently appeared at the New York City premiere of the show, alongside costars Brendan Gleeson<\/a>, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Lukas Haas and Abraham Popoola.\u00a0<\/p>\n When discussing the development of his character, Cage tells PEOPLE he wanted to blend classic Hollywood influences with the comic-book world by channeling \u201csome of my favorite old-style actors, [James] Cagney, [Humphrey] Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, and collide them with Stan Lee’s masterpiece, Spider-Man<\/em>, and create something new.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Cage also shares that much of his preparation came from revisiting older films and trying to capture their \u201caura.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Credit: Columbia\/courtesy Everett Collection<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>
Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n