Why Guy Pearce didn’t work with Christopher Nolan after Memento

Despite the critical and commercial success of their only collaboration, Guy Pearce was banned from working with Christopher Nolan for 20 years.

The two-time Golden Globe nominee recently claimed he was denied roles in several Nolan films after a Warner Bros. executive took issue with him following their two-time Oscar-nominated film Memory (2000).

“He’s spoken to me about roles a few times over the years. The first Batman And The prestige“he said Vanity Fair. “But there was an executive at Warner Bros. who openly said to my agent, ‘I don’t understand Guy Pearce.’ I’ll never get Guy Pearce. I will never employ Guy Pearce.’ So in a way that’s good to know. I mean, fair enough; There are some actors I don’t understand. But it meant I could never work with Chris.”

Pearce speculated: “I think he just didn’t believe in me as an actor.

Although he was blocked by the executive, this did not stop Nolan from lobbying for the actor to appear in his subsequent projects.

“They flew me to London to discuss the role of Liam Neeson Batman“And I think it was decided on my flight that I wasn’t going to be in the film,” Pearce explained. “So I get there and Chris says, ‘Hey, do you want to see the Batmobile and have dinner?'”

With Nolan leaving Warner Bros. in 2020 and currently working on a star-studded event film, Pearce quipped, “So now’s my time!”

Pearce added that he worked with Nolan Memory“It’s hard to compete with Chris Nolan. He has such an outstanding intellect.”

Screenplay and direction: Nolan, Memory Pearce plays Leonard, a man struggling with short-term memory loss while trying to track down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The film also starred Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano.

Memory grossed $40,047,236 worldwide and is currently certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 94% Tomatometer and Popcorn Meter rating.