The free-spending actor lost four homes to foreclosure (in Bel-Air, Las Vegas and two properties in New Orleans). He then sued his business manager for $20 million for allegedly leading him down a path to bankruptcy.

Nicolas Cage appeared on Monday's edition of Today for his first interview with the NBC morning show in seven years.

That fact was much hyped ahead of Cage's sitdown with Savannah Guthrie to promote his new animated role in DreamWorks' The Croods, hitting theaters Friday.

"I'm very much a morning person," he said. "I'm glad to be back, actually."

Cage, who turns 50 next year, mused about his resume of 70-something films, saying: "I think eventually when I'm done with all this, I will probably only reflect and live a life of contemplation."

REVIEW: 'The Croods'

The actor, as famous for his eccentric personal life as his eclectic acting repertoire, lives with his wife and 7-year-old son in Las Vegas (which seems fitting, given his well-publicized fascination with Elvis). "I think the paparazzi might have chased me out of Los Angeles," said Cage.

"I have a simple life and I'm a lot lighter because of it. I get up in the morning, I drive my kid to school, I go home, I work out, I take my wife to lunch, I pick my kid up from school and that's it, I'm ready for the next movie," he added.

In The Croods, about a prehistoric family leaving cave life behind, Cage voices overprotective patriarch Grug, whose credo is: "Fear keeps us alive. Never not be afraid." Emma Stone portrays his his teen daughter Eep ("What a voice," Cage gushed) and Ryan Reynolds is her love interest, Guy.

Said Cage: "I think it's no secret that I've tried to take chances in my career and also in my life and I believe to not live in fear. And I would cringe when I would have to say those lines, but that's the character."