Throughout his illustrious career, Nicolas Cage has played a wide range of characters: suicidal alcoholic; deadbeat dad; lovestruck angel; a cop (five times!); even a motorcycle-riding, flame-yielding skeleton. Finally, though, he’s found the role that he’s been practicing his whole life for — Balthazar the sorcerer in Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, in theaters today. And we quote: “People think of it like, ‘I’ve not seen him play a sorcerer, that seems odd for Nic,’ but the truth is my whole life has been about practice for that part.” Our excitement over Cage’s triumphant career peak made us wonder: Which other actors or actresses have been lucky enough to find the parts they were destined to play? A quick look back through cinematic history.
“This is the role I was born to play.” —Madonna on Evita
“I was born to play the role.” —Billy Bob Thornton on Sling Blade (Calgary Sun, 1/19/99)
“I really felt I was born to play this role.” —Diane Kruger on Inglourious Basterds
“Dude, I was born to play this part.” —Jack Black on School of Rock
“I am playing a gynecologist, a part I was born to play.” —Danny DeVito on Junior
“This role is in my DNA, the role I was born to play.” —Will Smith on Ali
“I was born to play Bettie Page” —Liv Tyler on a biopic that’s not yet been made (Daily Star, 3/10/03)
“I was born to play this part.” —Robert Downey Jr. on Chaplin (USA Today, 1/10/92)
“I just felt that that was a character I was born to play” —Catherine Zeta-Jones on Chicago
“I was born to play that role.” —James Woods on Salvador (The Sun Herald, 8/12/90)
“It was my father who sent me the book when it first came out, telling me I was born to play the role.” —Bill Paxton, on A Simple Plan (Calgary Sun, 1/17/99)
“I was born to play the role.” —William H. Macy, on Fargo (Plain Dealer, 10/22/98)
“I was born to play that role.” —Vin Diesel, on a biopic of Hannibal the Carthaginian that’s yet to be made (Miami Herald, 8/09/02)
“I was born to play this role.” —Jack Black (again!) on Tropic Thunder
