Rarely does a profile of Nicolas Cage disappoint, and the latest from _GQ_ is no exception. The _Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent_ star chatted with _GQ_ about his career, embracing being

a meme, and ... dropping tens of thousands of dollars on a two-headed snake. "I was having dreams about two-headed eagles," Cage said. "And then the next day, somebody calls

me and says, 'Oh, I have a two-headed snake you might be interested in buying.' And I'm dreaming about two-headed eagles. And it costs like 80 grand. I said, 'I'll

do it. Here, I'll take it.'" SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE SIGN

snake, as needing to "put a spatula between the two heads" to give "them two different mice and let them eat separately" became "too much for me to handle."

Cage donated the snake to New Orleans' Audubon Zoo in 2008, and it died in 2021. Cage previously mentioned his snake friend in _Interview Magazine_, recalling how he brought it out at a

party and "everybody was freaked out by it." He also noted director Werner Herzog wanted to put the snake in _Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans_, but Cage refused,

declaring, "No, I'm not putting it into the movie because this is personal." Cage also has a talking crow at home (which he says calls him an "a--hole"), and

according to _GQ_, when the owner of a local pet store recently died, the actor took in "a couple turtles" and a "fish with a bum eye that he felt bad for." Cage stars as

himself in _The_ _Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent_, and the _GQ_ piece delves into the "meme-fied version" of him that has developed over the years. Cage described the movie

as his way of "embracing" this — but he did tell _GQ_ he wants to refute the "misconception that I'm crazy." Explore More Speed Reads