Nicolas Cage Says He Turned Down Roles in “Spider-Man ”and “Dumb and Dumber”: 'Those Decisions Were the Right Ones For Me'
Nicolas Cage Says He Turned Down Roles in “Spider-Man ”and “Dumb and Dumber”: 'Those Decisions Were the Right Ones For Me'
Virginia ChamleeWed, May 27, 2026 at 9:05 PM UTC
0
Nicolas Cage
Credit: Jason Mendez/Getty
-
Nicolas Cage is sharing some of the iconic roles he's turned down
In a new interview, the actor said he declined roles in 2002's Spider-Man and in 1994's Dumb and Dumber
The reason, he said, was that he had instead taken other roles, which turned out to be the right decision
Nicolas Cage is opening up about declining roles in 2002's Spider-Man and in 1994's Dumb and Dumber.
Speaking to Variety, 62-year-old Cage said he spoke to Spider-Man director Sam Raimi about his vision for the Green Goblin, the character he was to play, but the two didn't see eye to eye.
"Sam and I had a great lunch, and I did say during the lunch, 'Listen: whoever plays Spider-Man, let them do one scene where they're crawling around like a spider when they're alone,' and it didn't happen," Cage said. "He wanted me to do the Green Goblin. I liked the idea of Sam Raimi, because of Evil Dead 1 and 2, and I wanted to work with him, but I had this other film called Adaptation."
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Dumb and Dumber
Credit: New Line Cinema/Getty
But there was another iconic role Cage also turned down: that of Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber.
"It happened with Jim [Carrey] and Dumb and Dumber, and I said, 'I'm going to do this other film called Leaving Las Vegas,' and with Sam, I told him, 'I'm going to do Adaptation.' Both those decisions were the right ones for me, and I'm happy with those results," he told Variety.
Dumb and Dumber centered on two dim-witted friends, played by Carrey and Jeff Daniels, who stumble across a suitcase full of money left behind and make the trek to Aspen, Coloradoto return it, unaware that it is connected to a kidnapping.
Advertisement
Cage ultimately won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his acclaimed performance as a suicidal alcoholic named Ben Sanderson in Leaving Las Vegas. Adaptation was also critically acclaimed, and earned four Academy Award nominations.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Cage recently opened up to PEOPLE about his decision not to play the Green Goblin in 2002's Spider-Man.
At the New York City premiere of Spider-Noir, Cage told PEOPLE he spoke to director Sam Raimi about the role, but ultimately decided to join the cast of Adaptation instead.
“For me, that was the right choice at the time,” the actor said.
Adaptation, which also came out in 2002, was directed by Spike Jonze and also starred Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper and Tilda Swinton.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
