Let’s say for a moment that you knew Christopher Nolan. Maybe you grew up with him. Maybe you worked with him. Basically, you have a relationship that goes beyond just a friendly acquaintance. Now, let’s say you were sitting with someone and you had a disagreement about one of Nolan’s films. Would you use this connection to call Nolan and get the definitive answer? Or would you realize how embarrassing it could be?
For most of us, the answer is no. We’ll never call Nolan in a million years, no matter what. You just assume he’s too busy and too important to hear from you. But that’s not what happened with Casey Affleck. The Oscar winner worked with Nolan on both Interstellar And Oppenheimer, and he recently told a story that is just beautiful and hilarious and goofy.
“I was coming back from school with my son. We were talking about Principle and disagree. I said, ‘Let’s fix this,'” Affleck said this week at the Zurich Film Festival (via Variety). “We got him on the phone and asked him something we could have easily looked up on Reddit. Once he said it, it seemed so obvious that I felt embarrassed. That was all. I didn’t call him back and he didn’t call me.
Now, to be fair, Nolan picked up the phone when Affleck called, so at least he has that going for him. Nolan also knows that Principle is a film that can be quite confusing and sparks a lot of conversation. So even though Affleck says he was embarrassed, and we believe him, we have a feeling Nolan understood.
As studious and old-school as Nolan appears, whenever you see him interviewed he comes off as a pretty normal, funny guy. He happens to be incredibly intelligent and talented. Don’t forget, he loves it Fast and Furious movies after all. So we have to assume that the fact that he didn’t call Affleck has nothing to do with Affleck himself. It’s just not having a reason. If Nolan has a role for the actor, or a question about Manchester by the seawe know exactly who he will call.
Also, what do you think Affleck asked her that was “so obvious”?
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