Earlier this week, we ran down The 10 Best Male Characters In Woody Allen’s Films, and one of them was Michael Caine‘s terrific turn in one of the director’s best films, "Hannah And Her Sisters." But as always, history could’ve played out differently as Allen revealed on a recent podcast with Sad Happy Confused, in a discussion about the great actors he’s never had a chance to work with.
"I have called [Robert] De Niro, I’ve spoken on the phone to Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson. Nicholson was going to do ‘Hannah and Her Sisters’ — I wasn’t thinking of Michael Caine at the time as I wasn’t thinking of an English guy. It would never have occurred to me," he said. ""Now I am working with Joaquin Phoenix, who is a great actor, and Sean Penn [but] I just haven’t had the opportunity to work with some of our greatest — Pacino, De Niro, Nicholson — they’re as great as it gets."
But hey, what about Kevin Spacey? You might recall that last year, the actor revealed he went out of his way to put himself on Allen’s radar. "I wrote him a letter and introduced myself as an actor he may or may not know. And I sent him a Netflix subscription, because I want him to watch my work," he told GQ. And Spacey said Allen responded with "an absolutely wonderful letter" letting him know that he is "in contention for things in the future." And it’s sentiment the director still has.
"I would love to work with him [Kevin Spacey] if I had anything for him I would do it in a minute." And actually, we’d love to see that collaboration too. Who would you like to see Allen work with down the line?