Nicolas Cage has starred in enough crazy movies to fill several alternate universes, but apparently there’s still one Hollywood “what if” living rent-free in his head: turning down Christopher Nolan.
In a new and candid interview with New York Times before the release of black spiderCage admitted that he believes the decline in roles for top directors may have quietly closed some doors over the years, including one with Nolan after he passed away on the 2002 thriller Insomnia.
“Most of them are hurt and don’t call you back,” Cage said. “It’s happened with Christopher Nolan, it’s happened with Woody Allen, it’s happened with Paul Thomas Anderson. They don’t call me back.”
That’s probably the most Nicolas Cage line ever uttered: casually mentioning elite directors like exes who left him in read.
Cage did not reveal exactly why he turned Insomnia down, but admitted that a filmmaker surprised him by giving him another chance: David O. Russell.
The actor now stars in Russell’s upcoming NFL biopic go crazy alongside Christian Bale and John Mulaney after previously turning down one of Russell’s previous projects.
“And it was a beautiful experience,” Cage said. “I enjoyed working with David.”
The Oscar winner also revealed the rare career advice that still guides him today, courtesy of the late music icon David Bowie.
“I asked him, ‘How did you keep reinventing yourself?’” Cage recalled. “He said, ‘I never felt comfortable with anything I was doing.’”
Honestly, that explains Nicolas Cage’s entire filmography.
