‘The Wire inspired me’: why Christopher Nolan uses a disposable phone
Christopher Nolan bans smartphones and UGG shoes from his film sets, for reasons… of deconcentration.
FaceTime, UberEats, Christopher Nolan does not have access to his phone. For what ? Quite simply because he doesn’t use a smartphone!
In his famous interview with The Late Show, Stephen Colbert spoke with the director ofOppenheimer to clarify part of the Nolan mystery, concerning his personality and his directorial policies.
“I don’t have an email address. I have never used email, begins by declaring Nolan, And I don’t have a smartphone. I use a prepaid phone.“
“So you have a disposable phone. Do you work with cartels?“, jokes Stephen Colbert.
“I was definitely inspired by The Wire”, replies the filmmaker.
Christopher Nolan runs to the music of Benny Hill with Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert then asks him more about this rigidity – why are cell phones and UGG slippers banned on his film sets? “I don’t allow cell phones on set – I try to minimize distractions,” Nolan replies. “And UGGs are a source of distraction?” insists the host. “Well, they can be for the other actors, yes“, considers the filmmaker.
After justifying himself about the ban on chairs on film sets, Christopher Nolan explained the reason for his anti-UGG policy:
“Even though we’re engaged in this absurd process where this wall is real but there are lights and there’s a guy with a microphone and everything, you’re asking the actor to focus on reality. So anything you can do — like wear the right shoes, don’t change your pants… that’s for the casting and it’s for me. I am here. You know, I’m there with them, trying to focus, trying to really see reality, so whatever we can do to keep that reality, kind of keep that bubble intact.”
How Nolan takes us into the mind of Oppenheimer