The 61-year-old actor explained how the movie, an Australian-Irish co-production filmed in Western Australia, relates to his own childhood in California.
Recalling spending weekends at Santa Monica Pier, Cage told Extra he admired boardriders but was also scared of them.
"I was quite young, but I knew that I wasn't going to be able to get past the group that was surfing, or, you know, the line, if you will. It was quite intimidating," he said.
"I had a lot of admiration for surfers and for what they do, but I also feared them as a young man because they were pretty jacked up, both mentally and physically."
In the new movie, Cage plays a man who revisits his childhood beach to surf with his son. The actor's character is pushed to his limits amid an escalating conflict.
"It's a human condition, it's a human story to think that you can repair things if you just work hard enough and buy back that house or it'll fix my marriage or it'll repair my relationship with my son ... and that desire to belong, to belong to something, to belong to anything," the actor said.
Cage has previously described having a student-like approach to acting.
The star has achieved huge success in the film business but acknowledges he's still developing his skills.
"I certainly can't think in those terms like I've done it all," Cage told Entertainment Tonight in 2023, despite having previously won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, among other accolades.
"I've always had the mantra that I'm a student. I've viewed my path and film-making as a student. I would never call myself a master."
The veteran star also revealed he's always had an inquisitive mind.
"I always have something to learn, always want to learn. So, 60 is coming up for sure, so my goal is to read more. I've been lagging in that department. I'd like to read a book a week."
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