Screen writer and producer Jonathan Nolan is much more than just the sibling of famous director Christopher Nolan. Having played a significant part in The Prestige director’s massive success, the younger brother of the Oscar winner has held his own in the industry with many successful projects to his name.
One of the feathers in his cap as a writer and producer was the 2011 crime drama Person of Interest which ran successfully for 5 seasons. The show starred Jim Cavaziel in the lead role which earned the actor a lot of praise. In an interview before the series went on air, Nolan discussed one outstanding performance of the star that made him confident that he had taken the right decision to cast him.
Jonathan Nolan Was Awestruck By Jim Cavaziel’s Talent In This Film
The 2011 crime series Person of Interest produced, written, and created by Jonathan Nolan, became one of the most watched and successful shows on television over 5 seasons. The drama starred Jim Cavaziel as an ex-CIA agent who delivers his unique brand of vigilante justice.
The charismatic actor’s presence was a defining factor in the series earning a lot of critical and commercial acclaim. Person of Interest was also one of Jonathan Nolan’s biggest successes as a writer and creator.
During a press tour ahead of the release of the series, Nolan spoke about the various aspects of the narrative in an interview (via Collider), and was effusive in his praise for Cavaziel and his talent. Elaborating on how he zoned in on the star as the perfect choice for the role, the writer spoke of one particular film of the actor that left him awestruck.
“I first got excited about Jim when I saw a film he made with Terrence Malick, 13 years ago, called The Thin Red Line, which is one of my all-time favorite movies. His performance in it is just unbelievable, and he’s done some amazing roles since. When we heard that he might be interested, I was just amazed and thrilled to be working with him.”
In The Thin Red Line, Cavaziel impressed as an American soldier in the 2nd World war. The film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards that year including Best Picture. Incidentally, the actor is also a controversial figure in Hollywood after his presence in Mel Gibson‘s highly talked about movie The Passion of the Christ in which he played Jesus Christ.
The film was panned by religious communities due to alleged biblical inaccuracies while critics argued that it focused on pain, suffering, and hate rather than love and redemption. In addition, Cavaziel who is a devout Christian himself, revealed in a speech in church (via The Guardian) that he was ostracized by his own peers in the industry for accepting to play the role.
While the celebrity had his own strong views and beliefs on religion, the actor felt that doing the film was completely worth it despite garnering a lot of hate for it.
How The Last Of Us Created An Easier Path For Jonathan Nolan’s Fallout
Jonathan Nolan is continuing to push his boundaries in 2024 and is proving that the Nolan family and the creative arts are truly a match made in heaven. After Christopher Nolan’s dream year at the movies, it is his brother’s time to take center stage.
The screenwriter’s latest project Fallout which is streaming on Amazon Prime, is getting rave reviews since its release. The show is a post-apocalyptic drama based on a popular video game series that stars Justified actor Walton Goggins in the challenging double role of a 200-year-old mutant killer called The Ghoul and a Western movie star named Cooper Howard.
The show which is already making a huge impression with viewers, has taken the massive success of The Last Of Us as inspiration for its journey. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Nolan addressed questions about the poor quality of video game adaptations and how Pedro Pascal’s show changed this perception.
“I was delighted. The bar was not only not high, it was nonexistent — especially in the TV space. You would have people adapting a first-person game and a studio would be like, ‘So the show is going to have a first-person point of view.’ No, that’s a grammatical tick of the game, that’s not how you adapt it. It’s always nice to be the first one. But when somebody makes something as good as The Last of Us, it makes it easier, because suddenly everyone understands what’s possible”.
The writer also believed that the current generation connected far more with video games than with comic books. This allowed creators like him to take the plunge and envision series based on these popular games that were being played worldwide.
All 5 seasons of Person of Interest can be purchased on Apple TV.
A Thin Red Line can be rented on Apple TV.
Fallout is streaming on Amazon Prime.
