‘That Director Has Had a Horrific Reputation’: Nicolas Cage’s Director Under Fire Over Use of Racial Slur on Set of ‘Madden’ Film as Another Actor Walks Out — Amazon Tells a Different Story
An actor in the upcoming film “Madden” allegedly quit the production after director David O. Russell called him a racial slur. But since news of the incident broke, the rumor mill has been churning with contradictory accounts.
The biopic of Bay Area football legend John Madden, starring Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale, is currently a few weeks into filming in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cage, who was also once accused of saying the N-word and other offensive antics during the filming of “Cotton Club,” has not publicly weighed in on the incident. He portrays the late Oakland Raiders coach and longtime NFL announcer, while Bale is cast as the team’s late owner, Al Davis.
The recent reports of tension on the set of “Madden” are perhaps not so surprising.
Russell, 66, has faced allegations of abusive behavior in the past, from an alleged attack on “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan in 2003 to a physical altercation on the “Three Kings” set with George Cooney, who called him a “miserable f***” in a recent interview.
The supporting actor in “Madden,” who remains unidentified, was reportedly hired to portray an NFL football player, and he refused to appear fully unclothed in a locker room scene that was scheduled to be filmed on May 15. People close to the incident told TMZ the scene was planned, and an intimacy coordinator was on hand to make the actor more comfortable and act as a liaison with the creative team.
When the unnamed actor balked at the nude scene, Russell allegedly used the racial slur in frustration, but then “calmly” told the actor he “didn’t have to be in the shot,” reported the Daily Mail.
Five members of the “Madden” cast and crew came forward to discuss the allegations with TMZ. They claimed the hot-tempered director, best known for “The Fighter” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” was guiding the actor through an “impromptu monologue” when he used the offensive language. Not only did the actor walk off the set, but others also bailed in outrage before they even broke for lunch that day.
While no one is disputing that cast and crew members walked off, Amazon Studios maintains its official stance that it was the actor’s idea to include the N-word in the monologue, according to TMZ. Still others disputed accounts that Russell used the slur — but they could not shed light on why people exited so abruptly.
“Directors and actors like this guy… are obsessed with objectifying Black people, and it’s definitely a mental problem. Why would the actor or director need to include that word in the first place….?” said one skeptical commenter on TMZ.
Another said, “That director has had a horrific reputation for quite sometime now.”
“I’m always so curious what positive qualities he has that keep bringing talented actors aboard. He must have some, right? You only ever hear that he’s an abusive s**t who screams and assaults. What does he do that people like? Money? The promise of awards? Somebody must like working with him? Anybody?” wondered a Reddit user.
Both Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale are known for fully immersing themselves in their roles even when the cameras aren’t rolling.
During the filming of 1983’s “Cotton Club,” Cage infamously inhabited his vicious hitman character, Vincent Dwyer, for six months, and reportedly adopted his racist attitudes and language too. He was accused by casting director Aleta Chapelle of using the N-word during an improvisation and coming to blows with a fellow actor. Cage has denied these allegations, but some are wondering why he hasn’t spoken about the incident.
“They’re just hoping his anger doesn’t splash over onto them. How brave,” wrote one Reddit user, while another pointed out that perhaps the two stars feel the “best way to contribute is not de-escalating but to remain in character even when they’re not shooting so… God knows what that entails?”