Washington DC, May 29 -- Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage has opened up about the reason behind changing his surname from Coppola and revealed that he legally made the change permanent last year, according to E! News.

Born Nicolas Kim Coppola, the actor said he wanted to build an identity separate from his famous filmmaking family.

"I am Nick Cage," the actor said in an interview with Variety while speaking about being known by his stage name for decades.

"I changed my name legally last year. I'm Nick Cage in life, and I'm Nick Cage on camera," he added.

Cage, who belongs to the renowned Coppola family, said he wanted his career to stand on its own rather than being linked to his relatives' legacy.

"'Tis better to be the patriarch of...