Nicolas Cage turns singer for 'A Score to Settle'

American actor Nicolas Cage says he took music lessons to understand his character in the thriller 'A Score to Settle.'

The actor who plays the role of Frank Carver, a low-level gangster in the film, features a rare sight of him singing, and playing the piano, in a scene where he performs the vaudeville song, 'I'm Always Chasing Rainbows.'

"I didn't learn piano prior to that," said Cage.

"I had to really get a teacher to teach me how to play that song, and it wasn't the easiest song. My day job is to act, it's not really to sing, but I have sung in other movies, like Wild at Heart. But this song was not the easiest song.

"So, to me, it didn't matter that it was a little bit of a straining because the character is not a professional singer, he's just someone who plays around with the piano and likes that song because it meant something to his wife, who's no longer alive in the movie. So, I didn't think it had to be pitch-perfect," he said.

Adding he said, "Well, I appreciate that I do, actually sing. I know The New York Times, they didn't seem to like my singing too much. But that's okay, I don't take it personally. But thank you. Because I do like music."

According to Entertainment Weekly, the story revolves around gangster Carver (Cage), who tries to take revenge on his fellow mobsters after serving 19 years for a crime he did not commit. Apart from this, his biggest revenge is his chronic insomnia, which is both threatening his life and making it difficult for the ex-convict to separate fantasy from reality.