Nicolas Cage turned down a role in the animation that proved to be a blockbuster
Nicolas Cage was invited to dub shrek per Jeffrey Katzenberg (head of dreamworks and friend of cage), but declined to participate in the film.
The reason is not in the comic aspect of the animation, nor in the uninviting appearance of the Ogre. According to Nicolas revealed in an interview with Today in 2013, rescued by Screen Ranthis biggest concern was representation for children.
“Well, the news said it was for vanity. I think it’s a little strong. The truth is, I’m not afraid of looking ugly in a movie… When you’re in an animation, it says more about how kids they’ll see you, and I care about that,” he said.
Some personality traits of shrek may not have pleased cage. Furthermore, her son was five years old when production on the movie started in 1995.
The actor, however, agreed to participate in The Croods (2013), giving voice to grug. For him, the character could more easily connect with younger viewers: “I wanted children to look at grug and thought, ‘Well, he’s a little scary, but he’s like a big teddy bear.’ Not sure if I could do this with shrek.”
Source: Rollingstone
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