Nicolas Cage Says Directors Stopped Contacting Him After He Turned Down Roles

Nicolas Cage has said that several prominent directors, including Christopher Nolan, have stopped contacting him after he turned down roles in their films, describing the pattern as a recurring reality in his career.

In a recent interview, Cage said that after he declined a part in Nolan’s 2002 psychological thriller “Insomnia,” the director never called him again. “Most of them, they get their feelings hurt and don’t call you back,” Cage said. “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.”

Cage did not specify which role he was offered in “Insomnia,” which starred Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank. He also recalled an early, unrealized project with Paul Thomas Anderson, saying Anderson had shown him a short film featuring Philip Baker Hall and they planned to work together, but it did not materialize. Cage did not provide details about the Woody Allen project he turned down.

The actor contrasted those experiences with his work with director David O. Russell. Cage said he had previously turned down one of Russell’s films, but Russell later...