Nicolas Cage, 62, has opened up about the professional fallout that followed his decisions to turn down films from some of Hollywood’s most respected directors. In a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times, conducted ahead of the premiere of his new series ‘Spider-Noir’ on MGM+, Cage recalled that several renowned directors seem to have lost his number after he declined roles in their films.
The interview that started the conversation
Cage covered numerous pivotal moments in his career in the interview, ahead of the premiere of his ‘Spider-Noir’ series on MGM+. He recalled that several auteurs appear to have cut contact after he said no to their projects.
‘Spider-Noir’ debuts domestically on MGM+ on May 25 before premiering globally on Prime Video on May 27. The show revolves in 1930s New York City, where Cage portrays Ben Reilly, an ageing private detective who struggles with his past experience as the city’s only superhero, simply called the Spider.
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What Cage said about Nolan
Cage said that Christopher Nolan, Woody Allen, and Paul Thomas Anderson were among the directors who took rejection personally when he turned down their previous offers.
In his own words, Cage told the Times: “Most of them, they get their feelings hurt 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.”
The ‘National Treasure: Book of Secrets’ star said Christopher Nolan had approached him earlier, offering him a role in his 2002 film Insomnia. Starring Al Pacino and the late Robin Williams, the movie follows two Los Angeles homicide detectives investigating a teen girl’s murder in Alaska. Cage passed on the role and, by his own account, has not worked with Nolan since.
The Paul Thomas Anderson project that fell through
Cage also addressed his missed opportunity with director Paul Thomas Anderson. Recalling that he turned down “a very early movie” with Anderson, Cage said, “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 did not share specific details about what the project was, only describing it as an early film in Anderson’s career. Philip Baker Hall, the actor Cage mentioned, is popular for his role in Anderson’s 1996 film ‘Hard Eight’, which was indeed one of Anderson’s earliest feature films.
David O Russell: The exception
While Cage painted a bleak picture of how most directors respond to rejection, he pointed to David O Russell as a notable exception.
Cage said: “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 added that Russell “showed a lot of class” by reaching back out, and said he did not want to turn him down a second time given his respect for Russell’s talent.
The result of that second invitation is ‘Madden’, an upcoming biopic in which Cage stars as NFL icon John Madden, tracing his life and his unexpected role in building the Madden NFL video game franchise. The film is ready for a November 26 release and also features Christian Bale, John Mulaney, Kathryn Hahn, Sienna Miller, Shane Gillis, and Joel Murray. Bale plays Raiders team owner Al Davis.
Cage’s career right now
The candid interview comes at a busy stretch for Cage. In ‘Spider-Noir’, Cage plays Ben Reilly, a private investigator in 1930s New York who also happens to be a grizzled, ageing version of Spider-Man, known as the Spider. The series is available in both black-and-white and color versions.
Cage previously voiced the animated version of ‘Spider-Man Noir’ for Sony Animation in the hit 2018 movie ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’, and he is likely to reprise the role in 2027’s ‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’.
The Spider-Noir series marks Cage’s television debut as a lead actor. The eight-episode thriller mixes film noir and comic book action.