Did Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale fight due to Christopher Nolan? Here's why Internet wants director canceled
It's rare for secrets to spill out from behind-the-scenes on movie sets but when it does, controversy is bound to erupt in the world of showbiz. Stirring up a hornet's nest, Anne Hathaway appeared in a new interview with actor Hugh Jackman for Variety's 'Actors on Actors' series and shed light on working with director Christopher Nolan.
With blockbuster sci-fi masterpieces like 'The Dark Knight', 'Inception, 'The Prestige', 'Memento' and the forthcoming film 'Tenet' to his credit — Nolan is popular for his mathematical concepts, unconventional narratives and large-format film photography. But did you know he doesn't allow chairs on a film set? Unleashing the hidden truth, Hathaway said, "Chris also doesn’t allow chairs. I worked with him twice. He doesn’t allow chairs, and his reasoning is, if you have chairs, people will sit, and if they’re sitting, they’re not working," and added, "I mean, he has these incredible movies in terms of scope and ambition and technical prowess and emotion. It always arrives at the end under schedule and under budget. I think he's onto something with the chair thing."
Elucidating on how it helps the set, she added, "Chris’ whole approach to filmmaking is one of my favorite ones. He’s broken it down to its most minimal, but also his movies are just so huge and ornate. That combination of really being intentional about what it was that we were doing — and also, he’s just so inspiring."
No sooner did she make that statement, it went viral on the Internet, and movie buffs were astonished. Calling it a bizarre step, many poked fun at him and soon, Twitter was buzzing with chair jokes. "Guys you don't understand, when Christopher Nolan was younger, a chair crashed through his window, frightening him," one tweet read and another said, "Christopher Nolan is your boss who refuses to let you work from home, even though you 100% could do your job from home."
Meanwhile, many spoke about all the things they knew from Nolan's movies. One wrote: "Christopher Nolan wakes you up on the weekend at 7 am to start doing chores because 'if I’m up then you’re up'." Not just that, another tweet hinted on a Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale feud due to the tweet. "The entirety of The Prestige was improvised when Christopher Nolan brought a single chair to the set and instructed Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale fight to the death for it," journalist David Itzkoff tweeted and set many tongues wagging. "No they played musical chairs," one joked and another said, "A little-known fact, but the real killer in Memento is a chair that Leonard keeps forgetting about."
Nolan's steps have been directed to keep one more focused but many fans are trying to cancel him on social media while others are busy defending him. "Bringing his powerful work ethic into my life by never sitting through another Christopher Nolan film," one said and another pointed out how it is necessary for disabled actors. "To everyone who thinks we're mad at Christopher Nolan not allowing chairs for no reason: disabled actors exist and shouldn't have to fight for the basic right to sit, which can be immensely helpful in pain management. Disabled actors deserve roles too."
"You just know film twitter is truly bored during this pandemic for trying to cancel Christopher Nolan for not allowing chairs on set. Oh my, the horror," one said and another posted, "How bored do you have to be to try and cancel Christopher Nolan for not allowing chairs on his sets because apparently that is what is happening right now?"
Well, canceled for real or not, we know that the director didn't mean any harm, don't we? Like Jackman rightfully pointed out how many directors don't allow cellphones to keep you in focus. "You just reminded me: There’s two directors I’ve worked with that don’t allow cellphones on set, Darren Aronofsky and Denis Villeneuve. Both of them had exactly the same reason, which is exactly what you were saying: It’s about intentionality. Both of them talk about the space being sacred. If you’re on a cellphone, it dissipates that energy," he said in the same interview.