Nicolas Cage is convinced he's the perfect choice to play comic book hero JOHNNY BLAZE/GHOST RIDER - because his life is identical to the Marvel character's.

The CON AIR star has been a fan of the Ghost Rider comic books for years and knew he was the only actor who could play the part when Columbia studio bosses decided to adapt the story for the silver screen.

He explains, "It may sound strange but I am Ghost Rider. He was a man who is just trying to take a negative and turn it into a positive, like we all do.

"I try to take movies and do something positive with any negative feelings I've had. Johnny Blaze is a superhero who had a very horrible thing happen to him and he's taking that negative and he's going to make something positive out of it, no matter what.

"In that way, I guess, I am Ghost Rider. It wasn't that challenging. I had all the honest ways of expressing that character and I'm very curious to see how people will respond to it."