Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is getting so much Oscar buzz, and with the prestigious event just hanging around the corner, fans are definitely excited to witness it bag several awards. Based on its box office profit and critical reviews, the movie is a phenomenal success.
While some anonymous Oscar voters have expressed appreciation for Nolan’s masterpiece, one voter admitted to actively avoiding the film for personal reasons.
Oscar Voter Snubs Oppenheimer Due To Christopher Nolan’s Alleged Set Rules
As per an article from Next Best Picture, an anonymous voter professed their aversion to depressing films, particularly Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. While the voter acknowledged the strong presence of the film and its overall quality, they did not appreciate the director’s apparent rule on his movie sets.
“I’m also not into depressing movies, so in the case of Oppenheimer, I know it has all this buzz around it, but I just don’t admire Christopher Nolan’s method of making films. It’s a well-made movie. But I know how he treats his crew, and I don’t like it. So, I’m punishing him with my ballot.”
The report of Nolan banning chairs on movie sets started after Anne Hathaway revealed in an interview for Variety’s Actors on Actors that the famed filmmaker “doesn’t allow chairs”:
“His reasoning is, if you have chairs, people will sit, and if they’re sitting, they’re not working. I mean, he has these incredible movies in terms of scope and ambition and technical prowess and emotion. It always arrives at the end under schedule and under budget. I think he’s onto something with the chair thing.”
Regardless of the reason, this is a great way to get a glimpse of how Oscar voters decide which film gets the prize, and so they don’t really just look at the movie itself but the behind-the-scenes and actual productions as well.
“No Chair on Sets” Policy Debunked
After Christopher Nolan’s no-chair policy got the attention of worldwide media, many formed their criticisms toward the director and none of them looked good. A spokesperson for the veteran filmmaker confirmed via IndieWire:
“For the record, the only things banned from [Christopher Nolan’s] sets are cell phones (not always successfully) and smoking (very successfully).”
It’s difficult to imagine having to stand all day on movie sets, especially for the cast and crew, so the moment the news spread like wildfire, it evoked so much negative reaction from the public.
“The chairs Anne was referring to are the directors chairs clustered around the video monitor, allocated on the basis of hierarchy, not physical need. Chris chooses not to use his but has never banned chairs from the set. Cast and crew can sit wherever and whenever they need and frequently do.”
It’s a mystery whether the anonymous voter would change their mind once they hear this clarification. After all, crew members and even journalists testified that there was no ban on chairs in Nolan’s movie sets.
Oppenheimer is now streaming on Peacock.
