Nicolas Cage Reveals National Treasure Line That Still Makes Him Laugh

The premise of National Treasure is a wild one, and in the time since its release, the hit movie has become the subject of plenty of jokes — both from those who don’t like the movie, and from its biggest fans. Even star Nicolas Cage admits that he can’t deliver the line “I’m gonna steal the Declaration of Independence” without laughing. The star is acutely aware of the way it’s been adopted by popular culture, and he doesn’t have any negative feelings about the movie itself.

In fact, Cage says, it’s the way the characters’ reverence for history is punctuated by this frankly ridiculous line that makes it all the more funny. That dichotomy is what makes it so special and meme-able.

“How do you take something that is so profoundly ridiculous and really try to sell it?” Cage told Variety. “What I really like about that scene just seeing it again for the first time in however many years is I like the positivity of the character. He really believes this. He really reveres it. I think that’s charming.”

“I can’t even say it without laughing,” Cage added. “It has been meme’d so many times. It has been ‘SNL’d.’ But you can’t help but laugh! I think what makes it work is how serious Justin [Bartha] and I are taking it. If you play it for laughs, then it’s screwball comedy and it’s stupid and it’s not my thing. That’s not where I’m at. The fact that we’d played it as dramatic actors makes it even more funny than it might’ve been if it was slapstick…..I think Jon Turteltaub shot it lovingly. He made the characters look like they had great reverence and regard [for it] … like a holy object. But to punch it with ‘I’m going to steal it’ is so ridiculous you just can’t help but love it. It’s nice to see that scene again.”

The movie was a huge hit, spawning a sequel and, years later, a Disney+ follow-up series. There have been frequent rumors about a return to the franchise for Cage, but nothing has gotten off the ground in that regard yet.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who is behind the franchise, said last December that “We were developing [another] National Treasure for the theaters with Nicolas Cage — which we still are. So, that’s ongoing.”