Allanon sends this along: Here is a link to an Empire interview with Nicholas Cage. He mentions that he turned down a role in The Lord of the Rings.

terrence green says: I’m sure you have turned down films in the past, but is there one that you have thought “Damn, I wish I took it…”? NC: The only reason why I tend to pass on a movie is either I don’t think I’m right for the material and can’t play it honestly, or because of time constraints with personal things in my life. There were two movies that asked me to go to Australia or New Zealand for long periods of time. One was Lord Of The Rings and one was the Matrix. But I was actively involved at that time raising my family and I couldn’t really take that time out. Full Transcript