Nicolas Cage revealed in a recent interview that he has turned down roles in movies from many famous directors, including a part in Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia. Nolan and the other directors don’t typically call him back after the fact.
To promote Spider-Noir, Cage appeared on The New York Times’ The Interview podcast to discuss his entire career. Around 33 minutes into the hour-long discussion, while talking about his work with David O. Russell on Madden, Cage noted that he had previously turned down a role in one of Russell’s movies and roles in projects from other famous directors.
“[Russell is] the only director that I said no to who actually came back and offered me another movie,” Cage recalled. “Most of them, they get their feelings hurt or something and don’t call you back. It’s happened a million times to me. 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.”
When pressed further on what movies he turned down, Cage confirmed it was Nolan’s 2002 psychological thriller Insomnia and Anderson’s Hard Eight. Although he only briefly mentioned Insomnia, it’s fascinating to think about how different that movie, which predates Batman Begins, would’ve been with Cage in an important role.
It feels like Cage would’ve been a great fit for either of the lead roles, Will Dormer or Walter Finch, who were portrayed by Al Pacino and Robin Williams in the finished movie, respectively. As Nolan likes to collaborate with certain actors across multiple films, we can only help but wonder where else in Nolan’s filmography he could’ve appeared in had that bridge not been burnt.
Cage does open to working with directors he has turned down in the past, as he liked working with Russell on Madden. “David did call me back, and I thought that 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 do have great respect for his talent, and it was a beautiful experience.”
Don’t expect to see Nic Cage in Nolan’s The Odyssey, which will release in theaters on July 17, but maybe the pair can work together in the future. As for Cage, you can see him next in Prime Video’s Spider-Noir on May 22 or in Madden when it comes to theaters on Nov. 26.