Although criticized for his recent choices of film roles and projects, Nicolas Cage insists he will continue to keep a balance between making fantasy films and independent dramas, while doing more family movies.

"I want to continue working on movies that are magical and fantastical, but at the same time also continue with my roots, which are independently spirited movies, smaller movies like Wild at Heart or Leaving Las Vegas, Adaptation and Vampire's Kiss," he says.

"They were where I learned acting and where I come from, and I always want to go back to that."

The latest work from the 46-year-old is The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a Disney movie based on the 1940 animated classic Fantasia.

In a telephone interview with China Daily, Cage recalls that Fantasia, a milestone flick featuring a perfect combination of classical music and animation, may have been the first movie his parents took him to see.

A loose remake of the classic, The Sorcerer's Apprentice is about a wizard and his hapless apprentice, who are swept into the center of an ancient conflict between good and evil.

Cage says he is obsessed with ancient England, particularly the story of King Arthur and Merlin, the period during which the film is set.

As a child he had great fun pretending to be different characters in the backyard of his house, including being a wizard. "It is good to be a child again," he says. "The film definitely fulfills this fantasy of mine."

The real wizard in his life was his father August Coppola, who taught literature and served as dean of creative arts at San Francisco State University.

Cage approximately based the look of the character and his hair after his father.

"My father was truly a kind of a wizard in my life," he says. "He was a teacher who educated young people and filled their minds with arts, imagination and philosophy."

"Whenever I work I try to find a personal connection with the story so that I can act in it honestly."

In addition to his personal bond with the story, Cage joined the cast because he wants to do more family movies, after his experience filming National Treasure 1 and 2.

"People I met in restaurants and when I was walking outside said 'Hello' to me in a genuinely excited manner," he says. "They were really excited about National Treasure and about me being able to share those movies with their children.

"That kind of positivity and enthusiasm compel me to continue trying to make family movies."

The Sorcerer's Apprentice was released in Chinese theaters on Sept 9.

China Daily