Q: How are you like Ben Gates, your character?

NICOLAS: One of the things that come to mind is ancestors. In a lot of, so called, primitive cultures there is a tremendous respect for our ancestors. We don’t see that as much, for whatever the reason, in modern American culture. With Ben, I wanted to make it clear that he really believes, probably because the grandfather, played by Christopher Plummer, knighted him at such an early age. He took it to heart and he really believes, in a chivalrous way, that everything he today is because of his ancestors. They are not dead to him, they are still there with him, and he’s honoring them. I like that about him. I think I try to embrace that in my own life. Also history, it’s a quid pro quo, I think because of playing Ben Gates I really appreciate history now. I enjoy being in places that I feel the weight of past events. I like old architecture, old buildings, and if you use a little imagination you can time travel.

Q: In the movie Ben makes a comment to the president that many today would consider old fashioned. He implies that it’s the office, and because of the office of the presidency, he admires the man. He says that he is honorable and honest man. Do you think that is an old fashioned value that has no place in today’s society...without being political?

NICOLAS: Yeah, I would rather not. I think one of the things that come out in that moment is that Ben is really speaking what we all want to believe. In a way he is charging the President in that moment. ‘You took this office, so this is the oath. Are you going to perform or not?’ That’s how I saw that moment.

Q: Following up on that, we are wondering were there any conversations at the time you were filming about what you had to do to keep it from veering into current events? Even to keep it away from, perhaps, criticism?

NICOLAS: That was always the concern from day one, even before principle photography, this scene with the President. I kept going over it, and over it, in my room. I was up late at night. I would look at it, I would rewrite it, I would tinker with it, and I would send the pages back to the powers that be. Then they would fact check them, go through with their writers, come back, and we kept tweaking it. I realized the importance of that scene not lapsing into something overtly political, sentimental, or maudlin. We need to get to the root and the simplicity of this. It always became clear to me that it was an overture, to the President, to step up. That we used the oath of the office, whatever there is about politics, and we all know that lying is endemic to politics. We used what is good, what is meant to be, and what we want to believe, that was to be the overture.

Q: Is it possible to do add political undertones without making it obvious?

NICOLAS: I believe that there is a way to question authority with manners and dignity. There is no reason to be rude about it because you can still say ‘I want some clarity here.’ I don’t want to get political, as I said, but yeah. I mean ‘Book of Secrets’, I don’t know. It’s an urban myth, but I’m sure there are tons of things that are classified, that we’re not supposed to know, for whatever reason, that we would probably like some answers on.

Q: You said that you have changed in the last three years, and of course you talked about changes that you incorporated in you character. Can you tell us about how you changed and what it’s like to be changing diapers again?

NICOLAS: It’s very natural. You don’t really think about it. I think the main changes are that my priorities have improved. I started acting at a very young age. I had interests, not saying that they are wrong, it’s just that I’m maturing. Motorcycles, and things like that, are not as important as they once were to me. I like a good book. I like being in nature, on the water, and being with my family. I think those are the real treasures.

Q: You mentioned earlier that children meant so much to you. Being a parent of a young child how has that changed you? Do you look at the programming for kids? Does it change your perspective on your work?

NICOLAS: Children from one to six years are so impressionable. The main priority is to just make sure they are happy, as much as possible. That is the job. Make them as happy as you can possibly make them. We know that as they get older things start happening. There are pressures, hormones, and all of that so in the beginning it’s just about how happy you can keep them for that wonderful, magical, period of time. That means movies that are positive. He loved ‘The Yellow Submarine’ and he like ‘The Beatles’ and that music. He likes ‘The Wiggles’ and all of that, and that’s great, because there is plenty of time to discover the other stuff. I’m sure he will if he’s like all the rest of us in my family. In terms of my choices, I try to make movies that will hopefully do some good for the whole family.

Q: Will you work, now that your uncle Francis [Ford Coppola] is making movies again, are you going to work together?

NICOLAS: The last time I worked with Uncle Francis was ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’. I was really happy with that, it’s been a long time. If he called I would certainly like to work with him. I’m happy to see that he’s behind the camera again. I wrote him an email recently saying ‘The world needs more of your movies.’ So I’m excited to see what he does.

Q: Holidays are coming up. I was wondering what the cage family traditions are that you may be looking forward to celebrating this year? Do you remember getting anything special for the holidays?

NICOLAS: This year I’m doing something new. I’m going to have a ‘Dickens Christmas’ where I’m going to take everyone to England. I’ve never done that and I want to just walk around Bath and see how they celebrate the holidays. I’ve always fantasized about that kind of Christmas. Hands down the best Christmas present I ever got, because it was a tool to stimulate my imagination, was my father was in Italy on sabbatical. I had a little toy car that was being driven by Pinocchio. For whatever the reason, Pinocchio’s head fell off the day before Christmas, because I played with it a little too roughly. My father picked up the head, he went into the garden, and he planted it. I thought ‘Why are you doing that?’ The next morning was this enormous thing that had grown in the garden. I ripped it open and it was a giant wooden Pinocchio. I was scratching my head, trying to figure out how that grew. Then I started planting everything. I planted all my Hot Wheels, I had a little G.I. Joe slipper. I thought if I planted that it would grow really big and I could put my sleeping bag in it. He really got me thinking, in an imaginative way, and at a young age.

"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" opens in theaters December 21st.