Nicolas Cage gets mistaken for Nick Cave every day

He told The Guardian newspaper: "I don't think there's a day that goes by where I'm not mistaken for Nick Cave.

"People also say, 'Hey, Nick, you were great in 'The Hunger'', which is this great David Bowie movie [that I'm not in].

"I do remember that Cave was very nice. We were at an animal sanctuary, I believe - I think Sealy Animal Hospital in Texas - and he was terrific. I said hello and wanted to shake his hand.

"I said, 'Only one letter separates us - G. Nick Cave, Nick Cage.' "

Meanwhile, the 61-year-old actor revealed he gave the iconic snakeskin jacket he wore in 'Wild at Heart' to co-star Laura Dern as a reminder of their experience because he had enjoyed working with her so much.

He said: "I found the snakeskin jacket in a secondhand store on Melrose in Los Angeles called Aaardvark's - it reminded me of the jacket Brando wears in 'The Fugitive Kind' - and I knew at some point I was gonna put it in a movie.

"I ended up giving it to Laura Dern because she was such a terrific actor, I enjoyed our time together on that movie with David Lynch, so I wanted her to have it."

Despite being known for his eccentric ways, Nicolas - who has Weston, 34, and Kal-El, 19, from previous relationships, and two-year-old August with wife Riko Shibata - insisted he is actually boring and rarely socialises beyond his family.

Asked what about him would surprise people most, he said: "I think people have an idea about me from the characters they've seen me play in movies. But the reality is, I bore myself. I don't really go out. I'm at home all the time.

" I'd rather just spend time with my two year old, and I don't really go and socialise. Not that I'm antisocial, but I have my daughter and I have my little life that I enjoy and it's pretty simple, so perhaps that would be a surprise."