Nicolas Cage has claimed some very influential directors have ‘never called him back’ after he turned down parts in their films.
The Spider Noir star name dropped Sir Christopher Nolan, Woody Allen, and Paul Thomas Anderson as high-profile directors who he says have ‘hurt feelings’.
One of the films in question was Nolan’s 2002 psychological thriller Insomnia, the first movie after his breakout film, Memento.
Likewise, Paul Thomas Anderson apparently called up for an early movie after he’d shown Cage a short film starring Philip Baker Hall, who also starred in Anderson’s Hard Eight.
In a new interview with The New York Times, Cage, 62, praised David O. Russell for being ‘the only director that I ever said no to who actually came back.’
‘Most of them, they get their feelings hurt and don’t call you back,’ claimed National Treasure actor. ‘It’s happened a million times to me.’
He didn’t mention which films, if any, he might have wanted the directors to call him for.
Cage revealed O. Russell had offered him a ‘good movie’ years ago but he had turned down the role.
The Amsterdam director then approached him for upcoming film Madden, which the actor almost turned down again.
‘I really didn’t know who [John Madden] was,’ the Oscar winner explained. ‘I don’t have, in my view anyway, much in common with him.’
The film follows real-life NFL coach and commentator John Madden, who died in December 2021.
Speaking about why he took the role, Cage added: ‘How can I get way out of my comfort zone? Which is what David Bowie said to me. I asked him, “How did you keep reinventing yourself?” He said, “I just never got comfortable with anything I was doing.” That’s stayed with me.’
Will Ferrell was originally rumoured to be linked to the role but in August 2023, Cage was announced to be starring as the American football legend.
Two years later, the rest of the main cast was announced, with Christian Bale, Kathryn Hahn, John Mulaney, and Sienna Miller all reportedly on board.
After filming began, some of the cast reportedly walked off set, with TMZ claiming there was some disagreement over the N-word being uttered while shooting.
The outlet claimed the word was reportedly included in an ‘impromptu monologue’, suggested by the actor, and did not make the final scene.
Their sources did claim O. Russell’s reaction during another scene that day – a nude locker room scene – had been ‘unprofessional’.
O. Russell didn’t speak out on the reported fallout and the film continued shooting.
Metro has reached out to Nolan and Anderson’s team for comment.
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