Guy Pearce revealed in a new interview with Vanity Fair that he was banned from starring in Christopher Nolan’s films after 2000’s “Memento” because a Warner Bros. He didn’t like his acting. The director’s relationship with the Hollywood studio began immediately after “Memento” with the psychological thriller “Insomnia” in 2002. Nolan and Warner Bros. then worked together for 18 years until the release of “Tenet” in 2020. The director’s tenure at the studio included blockbuster films such as the “Inception” trilogy and ” “The Dark Knight”.
“He’s talked to me about roles several times over the years,” Pearce said when asked about his relationship with Nolan after the huge success of Memento. “The first two films, “Batman” and “The Prestige.” But there was an executive at Warner Bros. “I don’t understand Guy Pearce,” he said flatly to my agent. I’ll never have Guy Pearce. “I would never hire Guy Pearce.” So, in a way, it’s good to know. I mean fair enough. There are some actors I don’t understand but that means I can never work with Chris.
Pearce said the Warner Bros. executive “He didn’t believe in me as an actor,” which prevented him from acting in Nolan films like “Batman Begins,” although the director had him fly to London to read for the role of Ra’s al Ghul. Nolan cast Liam Neeson in the part.
“They flew me to London to discuss the role of Liam Neeson, and I think it was decided during my flight that I would not be in the film,” Pearce recalls. “So I got there and Chris said, ‘Hey, do you want to see the Batmobile and have dinner?'”
Fortunately for Pearce, Nolan’s tenure at Warner Bros. was over. After the release of “Tenet” in 2020. The director produced his latest film, the Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer,” at Universal Pictures, and is teaming up again with that studio for his mysterious new project due out in 2026. Nolan’s new film starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Charlize. Theron, Anne Hathaway and others. Both Damon and Hathaway have appeared in previous Nolan films.
Meanwhile, Pearce is expected to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor this season thanks to his iconic role in The Brutalist. Read his full interview with Vanity Fair here.