Nicolas Cage Says Christopher Nolan Stopped Calling After He Turned Down ‘Insomnia’

Nicolas Cage says several major Hollywood directors stopped considering him for projects after he declined earlier offers from them.

In a New York Times Q&A published Saturday, the 62-year-old actor said Christopher Nolan, Paul Thomas Anderson and Woody Allen never approached him again after he passed on films they wanted him for. Cage claimed Nolan stopped contacting him after he turned down a role in the 2002 thriller “Insomnia,” starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams.

“Most of them, they get their feelings hurt and don’t call you back,” Cage said. “It’s happened a million times to me.”

Cage contrasted those experiences with director David O. Russell, who cast him in the upcoming football drama “Madden” after Cage had previously rejected one of his projects years earlier.

“He’s the only director that I ever said no to who actually came back and offered me another movie,” Cage said, praising Russell for showing “a lot of class.”

“Insomnia” became both a critical and commercial success, earning more than $113 million worldwide. Nolan has since become known for frequently reuniting with actors including Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy.

Nolan is currently preparing for the release of “The Odyssey,” scheduled for July 17, and recently defended casting rapper Travis Scott in the film, saying the choice reflected the oral-poetry roots of Homer’s epic.