Appearing on the Today Show, Nic Cage said his Vegas lifestyle is not what many fans would expect. “I have a simple life, and I’m a lot lighter because of it. I get up in the morning, I drive my kid to school, I go home, I work out, I take my wife to lunch, I pick my kid up from school, and that’s it.”

He also admitted that he turned down the role of Shrek. He said “That is in fact true. Well, the news said it was because of vanity. I think that’s a bit strong. But the truth is, I’m not afraid to be ugly in a movie…. When you’re drawn, in a way it says more about how children are going to see you than anything else, and I so care about that.”

Cage appeared on the Today Show promoting his new film “The Croods.” He admits the character gives him a new release that he could not achieve in Shrek. “I want kids to look at Grug (and think) ‘well, he’s a little scary, but he’s a big teddy bear,’. And I wasn’t sure I could do that with Shrek.”