Nicolas Cage fans are praising the actor after Minnie Driver revealed he once purchased a plane seat for his son’s imaginary friend.
Driver shared the story about the National Treasure star, 59, who is father to sons Kal-El, 17, and Weston, 32, from previous relationships, and daughter August, nine months, with wife Riko Shibata, on Instagram on Monday in response to a viral post about Cage.
The post, which was shared by the Instagram account @Iamthirtyaf and included an amusing roundup of tweets, memes and anecdotes about Cage, prompted Driver to share her own story about the actor.
“Was once on a plane with NC and his son and a seat had also been purchased for his son’s imaginary friend,” Driver wrote in the comments under the viral post. She concluded her comment with a black heart emoji.
The anecdote was met with joy from Instagram users, with many praising Cage for the “sweet” parenting moment.
“This is amazing,” one person commented, while another said: “That’s so sweet!”
“Thank you for sharing that very Nicholas Cage sweet thing to do,” someone else wrote.
While the majority of responses to the story were positive, Driver’s recollection prompted one person to joke about a possible alternative reason Cage may have purchased the extra seat on the plane. “Think he just didn’t want anyone else sitting in their row?” they wrote.
“Now that’s a whole new level of wealth,” another person commented.
Although Cage has not addressed the anecdote himself, he has spoken candidly about the joy fatherhood brings him on a number of occasions. In 2015, Cage opened up about becoming a grandfather after his eldest son, Weston, had children of his own while speaking to People, with the actor telling the outlet: “To see my son with my grandson is as close to a sense of blissful completion I ever had.”
In April 2022, after a representative for Cage confirmed that he and Shibata were expecting their first child together,The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent star told Access Hollywood that he was “extremely excited” to be a father again.
“My boys are all grown up, and I miss going to the toy store. I miss singing lullabies and rocking in the rocking chair,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting back to that.”
The couple, who married in February of last year, welcomed their daughter on 7 September 2022.
The Independent has contacted a representative for Cage for comment.
