Nicolas Cage named names as he discussed his relationships with Hollywood’s most well-known directors—and why he hasn’t worked with them.
Speaking to The New York Times on Saturday, the Oscar winner said he was persuaded to star as legendary American football coach John Madden because director David O. Russell did something that others hadn’t.
“David O. Russell offered me a movie a million years ago. It was a good movie, and he offered it, and I said no, and he’s the only director that I ever said no to who actually came back and offered me another movie,” he said.
“Most of them, they get their feelings hurt and don’t call you back. It’s happened a million times to me,” he continued, revealing that “It’s happened with Christopher Nolan, it’s happened with Woody Allen, it’s happened with Paul Thomas Anderson.” Cage added, “They don’t call me back.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to representatives for Nolan, Allen, and Anderson for comment.
The actor, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas, also revealed which films he turned down from each director.
Nolan offered him the 2002 mystery thriller film Insomnia, which ultimately starred Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hillary Swank.
“The Paul Thomas Anderson movie was a very early movie,” he added. “He’d shown me a short film with Philip Baker Hall. And we were going to do something, and it didn’t work out.”
In Madden, slated for release in November, Cage plays the football icon, who died in 2021, from his Super Bowl-winning years coaching the Raiders through his career as a TV commentator to his co-creation of the Madden NFL video game franchise.
He said the role was not an obvious choice for him. “I really didn’t know who he was,” he explained, “I don’t think of myself when I think of John Madden.”
That said, after his experiences with other directors who never called again after getting a “no,” it was Russell’s phone call that convinced him to take on the role.
“David did call me, and it showed a lot of class that he would call me back and invite me again,” Cage said. “And I didn’t want to say no to him again because I have great respect for his talent. And it was a beautiful experience.”
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