Profile: Christopher Nolan (Part 2)

Part 2 of Trevor Hogg’s profile at FlickeringMyth.com on writer-director Christopher Nolan. Here’s an excerpt:

“There’s a very limited pool of finance in the U.K.,” observed British filmmaker Christopher Nolan. “To be honest, it’s a very clubby kind of place. In Hollywood there’s a great openness, almost a voracious appetite for new people.” One of those impressed by his directorial talent was a legendary actor to whom Nolan had sent a copy of his sophomore effort. “I wasn’t looking to make another movie,” admitted Al Pacino (Dog Day Afternoon). “Then I saw Memento [2000] and I went, ‘Oh, yeah, I gotta work with that guy.’”

While under investigation by Internal Affairs, Los Angeles detectives Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) fly to Alaska to help the local police solve the murder of seventeen-year old Kay Connell (Crystal Lowe). “He didn’t sign on right away,” confessed Christopher Nolan who had envisioned Al Pacino as Dormer in his remake of Insomnia (2002). “He had some reservations about the script, and so did I. But we kept on talking until we worked them out.” Commenting on the role played by Stellan Skarsgård (Taking Sides) in the original 1997 Norwegian picture, Pacino stated, “I like the idea of this character doing something he knew [was wrong] but he had some higher moral reason for doing it and he pays for it.” There was no need to conduct research for the part. “When I did Serpico [1973], I lived like a cop for months. I went on patrol; I hung with the guys. I wanted to get it right by which I mean I needed it to feel real for me. I still do that for some parts, but I’ve played enough cops by now; I should get a pension.”

Christopher Nolan was impressed by his leading man. “He has this uncanny sense of narrative and you can’t slough him off with the usual promises that it will all make sense in the end or get fixed later. He wants it right now, while he’s still around to make it right.” Cast to play the murderous author Walter Finch, who witnesses and torments Dormer for the questionable killing of his L.A.P.D. colleague, is Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting). “It’s great to act with somebody like that,” said Al Pacino in reference to the notorious comedic antics of his co-star. “It also makes a movie shoot in Alaska more enjoyable because you have someone to talk to about something besides gross points and what roles they’re up for. He just synthesizes everything. It makes those long days go faster.” Recruited for the part of the eager and star-struck novice Alaskan detective Ellie Burr is an actress who, like Pacino and Williams, is an Oscar-winner. “With this character, she’s just a small town girl and I’m a small town girl so it wasn’t hard for me to conjure that up,” revealed Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry). “I think I just tried to get under the skin of what makes her tick and just work with Christopher and his vision of the film. She’s a rookie detective and she looks up to Al Pacino who’s a seasoned detective. That wasn’t too hard for me being a rookie actress looking up to a seasoned actor.”

Working with a production budget of $46 million, which is nine times the cost of its cinematic predecessor, was not an intimidating experience for Christopher Nolan. “I find each film I’ve made has had its budget increased exponentially and I’ve found the process reassuringly similar at every stage. Cause at the end of the day it always just seems to be about the shots you get.” Filming from a screenplay written by Hillary Seitz (Eagle Eye) was not an awkward adjustment for Nolan. “There’s something quite liberating about taking someone else’s script on because you can be a lot more objective about a pretty advanced draft, whereas when you are writing yourself you get very much wrapped up inside it…and it’s difficult to maintain focus.” The director did not want to do a straight reproduction of the original picture. “The first film was beautiful but it had a certain coldness to it whereas this film is more character driven. You see what is wrong with the detective but I wanted to make it easier for the viewer to understand why he is having such a hard time dealing with his sleeplessness.”

Reviewing the thriller, which earned $114 million worldwide, Rolling Stone film critic Pete Travers wrote, “Nolan stages a thrilling chase for cop and suspect across moving logs, but it’s Walter’s psychological pursuit of Will that make this one of the year’s best movies.” For his cinematic efforts Christopher Nolan was lauded with ALFS Award for Director of the Year by the London Critics Film Circle, while Al Pacino contended for Actor of the Year.

For the rest of Part 2, go here.

Here is Part 1 of the profile.

Next week, Part 3.