Nicolas Cage says he 'didn't get into movies to be a meme'

Hollywood star Nicolas Cage may have found himself at the centre of viral memes that constantly flood social media, but that was not what he ever intended to do.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, the Oscar-winning actor said that he initially "didn't understand how to process what was happening" with all the memes and video mashups of him and the characters he had played for projects.

"I got into acting because I was moved by film performance more than any other art form. I didn't get into movies to become a meme. That was new. I made friends with it but it was an adjustment," he said.

"I thought maybe they would compel someone to go back and look at the movies. But I had no control over it. The same thing happens with Paul in 'Dream Scenario' he has no control over this inexplicable phenomenon."

The Kristoffer Borgli-directed film follows Paul Matthews, an unlucky family man who finds his life turned upside down when he starts to appear in millions of strangers' dreams. But his newfound stardom gets complicated when the dreams become nightmares.

Earlier in the interview, Cage said that he believes he may "have been the first actor who went through a kind of meme-ification," which was hard for him to wrap his head around.

'Dream Scenario' hits theaters November 10.