Guy Pearce says he was blocked by Warner Bros. from working with Christopher Nolan on Batman Begins and The Prestigue.
“He spoke to me about roles a few times over the years,” Pearce told Vanity Fair. “The first Batman and The Prestige. But there was an executive at Warner Bros. who quite openly said to my agent, ‘I don’t get Guy Pearce. I’m never going to get Guy Pearce. I’m never going to employ Guy Pearce.’ So, in a way, that’s good to know. I mean, fair enough; there are some actors I don’t get. But it meant I could never work with Chris.”
When Pearce was asked why he thought the executive blocked him from working with Nolan, he replied: “I think he just didn’t believe in me as an actor.”
Pearce starred in Nolan’s 2000 psychological thriller Memento, which follows a man named Leonard Shelby who suffers a traumatic experience that causes him to develop anterograde amnesia – resulting in short-term memory loss and the inability to form new memories. Leonard uses an elaborate system of photographs, handwritten notes, and tattoos – that he gives himself – in an attempt to uncover the perpetrator who killed his wife and caused him to lose his memory. The emotional film was both a critical and commercial success, grossing $40 million against a budget of $9 million and earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
After the commercial failure of Tenet, Nolan ended his partnership with Warner Bros. and released Oppenheimer with Universal – which became a critical and commercial hit of epic proportions. Nolan is releasing his next film – which will star Tom Holland and Zendaya – with Universal as well.
Pearce can be seen next in The Brutalist, which is in select theaters now. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond.