Nicolas Cage is looking back on two major Hollywood roles he never took—and why he believes the choices still made sense for him.

The 62-year-old actor revealed in a recent interview that he was once considered for the role of the Green Goblin in 2002's "Spider-Man," directed by Sam Raimi. Cage said he met with Raimi over lunch to talk about the character, but they had different ideas for how it should be played.

"Sam and I had a great lunch, and I did say during the lunch, 'Listen: whoever plays Spider-Man, let them do one scene where they're crawling around like a spider when they're alone,' and it didn't happen," Cage said.

According to People, he added that while he respected Raimi's vision, he ultimately stepped away because he had another project he wanted to do at the time.

Nicolas Cage Explains Why He Chose 'Adaptation'

That project was "Adaptation," the 2002 film directed by Spike Jonze. Cage said the opportunity to work on that movie helped shape his decision.

"He wanted me to do the Green Goblin... but I had this other film called 'Adaptation'," he explained.

Cage also shared that a similar situation happened years earlier with "Dumb and Dumber." He was offered the role of Lloyd Christmas, later played by Jim Carrey, but chose instead to star in "Leaving Las Vegas," a performance that later earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor, EW reported.

"It happened with Jim [Carrey] and "Dumb and Dumber," and I said, 'I'm going to do this other film called Leaving Las Vegas,'" Cage said.

Looking back, he believes both decisions were the right ones for his career. "Both those decisions were the right ones for me, and I'm happy with those results," he said.

While "Dumb and Dumber" went on to become a major comedy hit, and "Spider-Man" launched one of the biggest superhero franchises in film history, Cage's own path also proved successful.

"Leaving Las Vegas" earned him an Oscar, and "Adaptation" received multiple Academy Award nominations.

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