Nicolas Cage on Recently Turning 60: 'I'm Very Thankful... and I'm Still Here' (Exclusive)

The 'Dream Scenario' actor celebrated the milestone birthday on Jan. 7

<p>ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty</p> Nicolas Cage attends the premiere of

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

Nicolas Cage attends the premiere of 'Renfield' in New York City on March 28, 2023

Nicolas Cage has a lot to be thankful for.

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at the 51st Saturn Awards, the actor, 60, says that he's at a "special" time in his life and shares his thoughts about hitting "another gear" career-wise after celebrating his milestone birthday on Jan. 7, on the same day as the 2024 Golden Globes.

"I'm very thankful that I turned 60 and I'm still here, and I'm making the kinds of movies I want to make," Cage says. "That I was alive long enough to do Pig and to do Dream Scenario and to do Renfield... So I do feel blessed."

<p>Tim P. Whitby/Getty</p> Nicolas Cage attends the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Dec. 7, 2023

Tim P. Whitby/Getty

Nicolas Cage attends the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Dec. 7, 2023

Related: Nicolas Cage's 3 Kids: All About Weston, Kal-El and August

The Moonstruck star also reveals what else he still wants to check off his list.

"I see myself as a student of filmmaking and screen performance," Cage shares. "And I do think that I've pretty much said what I wanted to say with cinema.

"So because I'm a student, I want to learn something else... I think I'm going to try different formats. I might try television, I might try stage, we'll see what happens," he continues.

Cage was honored at the event with the best supporting actor in a film award for his work on Renfield.

His comments on switching "formats" come after he said he may slow down making movies after turning 60.

The actor is well known for the number of films he's made over the years, nabbing 116 onscreen credits since his first role in the 1981 television movie The Best of Times, per IMDb.

"So 60 is coming up. I'd like to read a book a week," he told Entertainment Tonight in November while promoting Dream Scenario.

"I want to spend more time with my daughter. I'm taking stock of what's really important. Maybe not make quite as many movies," Cage added to the publication at the time.

Related: Nicolas Cage Calls AI a 'Nightmare,' Says His The Flash Cameo as Superman 'Was Not What I Did'

Cage and wife Riko Shibata welcomed their first baby together, daughter August Francesca Coppola Cage, on Sept. 7, 2022.

"Nicolas and Riko are happy to announce the birth of their daughter," their rep told PEOPLE at the time. "Mother and daughter are doing fine."

The baby girl is Shibata's first child and Cage's third, as he is already dad to sons Kal-El, 18, and Weston, 33, from previous relationships.

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