Nicolas Cage has revealed that Christopher Nolan stopped returning his calls after turning down a role in the director’s 2002 thriller. Insomnia, and he says the same has happened with several other major filmmakers over the years.
Speaking to The New York Times, the Oscar-winning actor was candid about the professional consequences that can come from saying no in Hollywood.
“Most of them feel hurt and don’t call you back. It’s happened to me a million times. It’s happened to me with Christopher Nolan, it’s happened to me with Woody Allen, it’s happened to me with Paul Thomas Anderson. They don’t call me back,” he said.
On the Paul Thomas Anderson front, Cage recalled being shown an early short film starring Philip Baker Hall, with a collaboration apparently in the works that ultimately fell through.
Nolan’s situation was simpler: an offer rejected by Insomnia That apparently closed that door forever.
The reason Cage is discussing all of this now is that he just made a rare exception to what seems to be a pattern of broken relationships between directors.
He plays legendary football coach and commentator John Madden in David O. Russell’s upcoming biopic. go crazywhich will be released on November 26, alongside Christian Bale, John Mulaney, Kathryn Hahn, Sienna Miller, Shane Gillis and Joel Murray.
The film traces Madden’s life and his role in the creation of the iconic Madden NFL video game franchise.
What makes the collaboration notable is that Cage had also previously turned down Russell, on a project he described as good but turned down anyway.
Most of the directors, as he has now made clear, would have left permanently.
Russell didn’t.
“He’s the only director I said no to who actually came back and offered me another movie,” Cage said, adding that the gesture reflected true class.
“I didn’t want to say no again because I have great respect for his talent. And it was a beautiful experience. I enjoyed working with David. I enjoyed working with Christian, John Mulaney.”
As for Christopher Nolan, it seems like that particular collaboration remains firmly in the no-go zone.
