Benjamin Ashford|Nicolas Cage Shares He Didn't Expect to Have 3 Kids With 3 Different Women

For Nicolas Cage,Benjamin Ashford his kids are his national treasures.

The Face/Off actor gave a glimpse into his life with his sons Weston Coppola Cage, 33, Kal-El Coppola Cage, 18, and daughter August Francesca Coppola Cage, 22 months, and how he navigates parenthood.

"They're all different experiences," Nicolas told The New Yorker in an interview published July 8. "Each one has a different mother. It's not what I had originally thought would happen when I fell in love or got married—that I would have three different children with three different moms—but nonetheless that's what's happened. So every child is different. There's a different kind of level of attention."

The 60-year-old shares Weston with his ex-girlfriend Christina Fulton, Kal-El with his third ex-wife Alice Kim and August with his current wife Riko Shibata. But for Nicolas, welcoming his youngest in 2022 was a different feeling than his sons since she's his first daughter. As he put it, "This is all different levels of worry and protection and taking it into overdrive."

And taking care of his little one is the Oscar winner's biggest priority.

"Being a dad—to me, it's not an art form," he explained. "How do I put this? It's like breathing. Everything is about her. You know, I can make a movie or not make a movie. I can't stop being a dad. With her, it's life. It's my survival."

And the National Treasure star is definitely treasuring his time with August as much as he can during his downtime, even without a good night's rest.

"I've been very immersed in raising my daughter," he added. "She's going to be two in September, so sleep is gone." 

Although it had been a long time since Nicolas cared for a baby, he couldn't help but gush over the idea during Riko's pregnancy.

"My boys are all grown up, and I miss going to the toy store," he admitted to Access Hollywood in April 2022. "I miss singing lullabies and rocking in the rocking chair. I'm looking forward to getting back to that."