Nicolas Cage's anger could've landed him in jail

Actor Nicolas Cage says he was such an angry young man during his teenage years that his aggression could have even landed him in jail.

However, the 49-year-old, who has been part of some great aggressive flicks like "The Rock", "Face/Off", "Gone in 60 Seconds" and "Lord Of War", thanks his profession for not letting him stray from the right path, reports thesun.co.uk

"Wish I had not been so angry at 18. I was a pretty wild guy with a lot of energy. I was into punk rock and didn't know where I was fitting in," Cage said.

"I wanted that energy to go somewhere. I wanted it to be constructive rather than destructive - but I just did not have a clue in which direction to take it. Finding a career in which I could express those feelings was lucky. It could have gone either way. I could have ended up in jail," he added.

However, now the actor is a calmer person.

"I have learned to calm down. I have developed into a person who is generally happy," he said.

Cage will soon be seen in forthcoming movie "The Frozen Ground", in which he plays a cop chasing a serial killer.