In this follow up to National Treasure, treasure hunter Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) once again sets out on a new global quest to unearth hidden history and treasures. When a missing page from the diary of John Wilkes Booth suddenly surfaces, it implicates Ben’s great-great grandfather as a key conspirator in Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Determined to prove his ancestor’s innocence, Ben follows an international chain of clues that takes him on a chase from Paris to London and ultimately back to America. This journey leads Ben and his crew not only to surprising revelations, but also onto the trail of the world’s most treasured secrets.

Delaware County Magazine: This is your fifth film with Jerry Bruckheimer. What makes you want to work with him so much?

Nicholas Cage: I think over the years we have cultivated a short hand. We discover what each of us brings to the table. He’s a producer that likes when his actors come up with ideas. He goes through a selection process to feel what will work to keep the train moving. Jerry has a vision. He is a movie fan and loves going to the movies. What’s unique about Jerry is that he does look in interesting places for his actors. He looks for someone unexpected. Like in Con Air, he picked independent film actors. He also has nostalgia for older actors. He has terrific taste in actors.

DCM: What was it about National Treasure that excited you? Were you nervous about doing a sequel? It’s the first time you ever made one...

Cage: Well, I think that the very thing that made me trepidacious on the first film was the same thing that intrigued me about the second film and Jerry Bruckheimer brings in a great group of technical advisors who do the research and try to figure out exactly how to make everything within the context of the film seem as believable as possible.

DCM: Did you pretend like you were Indiana Jones or reference any action adventure movies while you made the first film? Or anything else to come up with the tone and style?

Cage: Well, I think that comes up whenever there is a tuxedo involved or a casual rougher look that Harrison Ford has. Cary Grant comes to one’s mind as being very suave. It’s interesting, because in the beginning, during the rehearsal process, I wasn’t exactly sure what the tone of the first movie was going to be. It has a certain spirit which is reminiscent of Indiana Jones, but where it parts company with Indiana Jones is that there’s nothing supernatural about National Treasure. There’s enough there that we can wonder about, that we can think about in terms of, does lost treasure really exist? Indeed, several highly intelligent people who believe it exists and have risked their lives looking for buried treasure. That’s what makes both films work.

DCM: What kind of student were you when it came to American history? Did you like to learn about it?

Cage: No. I was more into Roman Empire ancient history. I was fascinated by the Civil War though, that was interesting to me. And it really wasn’t until much later, that I got to go to these very hallowed ground landmarks like Independence Hall and start to cultivate the enthusiasm that even my character has. Again, even though it’s not a historically-loaded movie, I wanted to make it fascinating on some level to people.

DCM: Do you see yourself as bold as Ben Gates? Or as an intellectual who loves history?

Cage: Without going into too much detail, I have had my obsessions and he certainly is a character who is obsessed about his adventures. I think that I have been obsessed over the years with were I can go with acting, or how I can challenge myself with that, if that answers your question.

DCM: Can you talk about working with Diane Kruger and Justin Bartha for a second time now?

Cage: Justin and Diane both have wild senses of humor. They’re both kind of off the wall in their sense of humor, as am I. As you can imagine, we got along great and had a lot of laughs on the set as well as off the set. What we did, in the rehearsal process, was try to work it out and discover the tone of the movie. You might call it ‘accidental discovery.’ Every movie seems to go that way.

DCM: Like me, you have such a love of comic books. Why is that?

Cage: Comic books for me as a young man were one of the ways I learned how to read. There were other ways too, but I was always fascinated by the mythology of them. I used to read Greek myths and I discovered a kindred spirit in the minds of Stan Lee and also DC Comics and I always felt that they would be successful in film even before they became successful. I knew that the big three would always be, Batman, Superman and Spiderman. I guess the reason why I respond to them is that they have the fantasy of the child’s mind and it’s a wonderful alternative world to sort of let loose in.

DCM: Are there any other superheroes that you’d want to play? You did Ghost Rider last year...

Cage: I’ve never made a comic book film before I did Ghost Rider so I just enjoy them as my childhood memories. I don’t read comics anymore though, its really something that came from my past. I’ve moved onto other interests in my life at this point but I still love the art form. Comics are great.