Nicolas Cage almost got Charlie Sheen into big trouble for carrying cocaine on a flight.

The star attempted a prank which he says nearly landed him and the fellow actor in prison more than two decades ago.

Speaking on the Late Show with David Letterman on Thursday, Cage revealed that he was unaware that Sheen was in possession of the Class A drug when played a joke on passengers.

"I did not know that Charlie had an eightball of cocaine wrapped around his ankle," said Cage.

"Nor did he know that halfway through the flight – now remember this was over 20 years ago and this was a very innocent time – that I was going to grab the PA and announce to the passengers that I was the pilot and that I was not feeling well.



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"And then when we landed, the pilot came out... and understandably he was very angry..."



However, the 48-year-old admitted that his swift thinking enabled the travel companions to walk away free when law officers let them go.

He continued: "Then he pointed his finger at my face furiously, at which point the door to the aircraft swooshed open like a nuclear gateway to a bank vault to reveal six fully-armed police officers.

"And the first thing I did was say, 'First of all, he had nothing to do with it'. I pointed to Charlie. And then I very gingerly, very politely, very delicately, kindly, talked my way out of going to airport jail."

Cage insisted that he had no idea that Sheen had been taking cocaine.

He added: "I didn't know he was doing that, I just knew that it was not a good situation. But again, it's in my past."

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