Blockbuster director Christopher Nolan seems to have the Midas touch on every project he gets his hands on. His recent biopic Oppenheimer has earned more than $400 million in just two weeks and is going steady at the box office. Despite tough competition with the Margot Robbie starrer Barbie, Nolan’s historical epic is still grossing big numbers.
Many prominent actors in Hollywood have come out and expressed their desire to work with the Batman director. He has worked with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio. Al Pacino, Christian Bale, Mathew McConnaughey, Anne Hathaway, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and more. While many actors jump at the chance to work with the director, some have also passed up the opportunity.
Christopher Nolan: The Dream Director
Ever since his breakthrough mind-bender Memento, Christopher Nolan has been rising to the top. He has been considered one of the most influential directors, being put on the same level as ace directors such as Steven Spielberg and James Cameron. His films typically receive blockbuster budgets and are big event films that are promoted as theatrical experiences. The director has global recognition.
The Dark Knight director has attracted fans not only among the audiences but also from industry insiders. Actors are particularly in awe of his elusive style of working. The process of working with Christopher Nolan usually involves a personal call from the director as well as a secretive reading session where a script that is printed black on red paper is given to the actors in a locked room. Previous collaborators such as Robert Pattinson and Kenneth Branagh have alluded to this process.
Also read: Steven Spielberg’s Net Worth: Is He Richer than James Cameron and Christopher Nolan?
Oppenheimer star Robert Downey Jr., said during the promotions of the film that he always wanted to work with the director despite the latter being on the ‘other side of the war’, alluding to Nolan’s work in the DC films. He also said, “How often are you thinking nowadays about a film that is ‘by the director’? It doesn’t happen very often”. He also mentioned that he always wanted to be on ‘Team Nolan’.
Matt Damon, who has worked with the director on Interstellar and Oppenheimer has revealed that he was desperate to work with the director again. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said,
“This is going to sound made up, but it’s actually true. I had – not to get too personal – negotiated extensively with my wife that I was taking time off….Chris put me on ice for a couple of movies, so I wasn’t in the rotation, but I actually negotiated in couples therapy – this is a true story – the one caveat to my taking time off was if Chris Nolan called.”
Despite his reputation, there are some actors, however, who have passed on the opportunity due to various reasons.
Actors Who Rejected Christopher Nolan
Prominent actors have missed the opportunity to work with the Inception director. While some of these actors, such as Josh Hartnett, ended up working with Christopher Nolan in another film, many have never or would never get to collaborate with the actor again.
Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Harrison Ford, and Anthony Hopkins are just some of the actors who had to reject the offer by Christopher Nolan. Hopkins was actually first offered the role of Alfred Pennyworth in Batman Begins, the first of Nolan’s iconic trilogy. The offer was rejected by the Oscar winner and eventually went to Sir Micheal Caine, which lead to a long, multi-film collaboration with the director.
Matt Damon, too, had to reject the offer to play Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight. Dent is Gotrham’s good samaritan District Attorney, who is corrupted by Joker’s idea of morality and turns into Two-Face. Damon had to let go of the role due to his commitments to Invictus. The role eventually went to Aaron Eckhart.
Ace Indian actor Irrfan Khan also had the opportunity to collaborate with Christopher Nolan on the sci-fi epic Interstellar. The late actor, who is known for films such as The Namesake, was approached by Nolan to play the role of Dr. Mann, the astronaut who leads the Lazarus project in the film. While the actor has appeared in a number of Hollywood blockbusters like the Chris Pratt starrer Jurassic World and the Andrew Garfield starrer The Amazing Spider-Man, Khan had to let go of the role due to his commitments on filming the Hindi films The Lunchbox and D-Day. The character of Dr. Mann was eventually played by Matt Damon, in his first collaboration with Nolan.
Source: Tribune
