Nicolas Cage has revealed that several prominent directors, including Christopher Nolan, Woody Allen, and Paul Thomas Anderson, have stopped contacting him for roles after he turned down their offers. The actor shared his experience during an appearance on The New York Times podcast The Interview.
Cage explained that David O. Russell is the only director who has approached him again after a rejection. "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," Cage said.
The actor stars in Russell's upcoming film Madden, portraying the late football coach and broadcaster John Madden. The drama explores Madden's career with the Oakland Raiders, his success in broadcasting, and his involvement in creating the Madden NFL video game franchise. The cast includes Christian Bale as Raiders owner Al Davis, John Mulaney as Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, Kathryn Hahn as Virginia Madden, and Sienna Miller as Carol Davis.
"Most of them, they get their feelings hurt and don't call you back. It's happened a million times to me," 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."
Cage noted that Nolan offered him a role in the 2002 psychological thriller Insomnia, though he did not specify which character he was considered for. The film, a remake of the 1997 Norwegian thriller, stars Al Pacino as homicide detective Will Dormer and Martin Donovan as his partner Hap Eckhart, who travel to Alaska to investigate a murder. Robin Williams co-stars as crime novelist Walter Finch. Regarding Anderson, Cage only mentioned it was "a very early movie."
"He'd shown me a short film with Philip Baker Hall, and we were going to do something and it didn't work out," Cage said. He credited Russell's willingness to approach him again for his decision to work on Madden. "David did call me, and it showed a lot of class that he would call me back and invite me again. 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. I enjoyed working with David. I enjoyed working with Christian, John Mulaney. But it was a big challenge."
Cage is also set to star in Spider-Noir, Prime Video's live-action adaptation of Marvel's Spider-Man Noir comics. The series features him as an ageing private investigator and superhero in 1930s New York, reprising a character he voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The cast includes Lamorne Morris, Brendan Gleeson, and Abraham Popoola, with a premiere expected in 2026.
Madden is scheduled for release on Prime Video on 26 November 2026.
