Nicolas Cage says he will never quit acting. One of the most recognized actors of his time, who has become an icon of popular culture, Cage’s career spawns over three decades of roles in movies like Snake Eyes, Face/Off, The Rock and Leaving Las Vegas (the film that earned him an Oscar).

Known for his eccentric personality, Cage has built a legend among his fans for his extreme acting method. The actor has sometimes claimed that to get under his characters’ skin he has—for example—followed a steak-based diet for months, had his teeth removed without anaesthesia and snorted saccharin to adopt the mentality of a drug addict. Recently, his performance in the drama Pig has been praised as one of the best in his career and seems to have broken his cinematic losing streak.

In an interview for Entertainment Weekly, Cage has revealed that he has no intention of retiring from cinema. While promoting his new film, Prisoners of the Ghostland, the actor has claimed that he takes his job much more positively and that he plans to stay in the industry for the rest of his life. However, he has admitted that he would like to take some time off at some point so he can recharge.

“No, no, no. No, no. That can’t happen. To do what I do in cinema has been like a guardian angel for me, and I need it. I’m healthier when I’m working, I need a positive place to express my life experience, and filmmaking has given me that. So I’m never going to retire. Where are we now, 117 movies? What’s funny is, my argument with people who go, ‘You work too much,’ was ‘I like working, and it’s healthy, I’m happy when I’m working, and by the way, guys like Cagney and Bogart, they were doing hundreds of movies.”

In fact, Cage’s career shows no signs of deceleration. Soon we will see him starring in his first western The Old Way, and he keeps seeking roles in independent movies; after admitting that he no longer trusts the big Hollywood studio scene. Soon we will see a new side of him when he plays himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. In recent years, the actor has shifted between roles in B-movies (Jiu Jitsu) and works destined to become cult titles (Mandy). Cage doesn’t seem to be leaving any time soon.