Christopher Nolan is one of the most talented, well-known, and respected filmmakers of all time. Being known for the unique masterpieces that he creates, with The Dark Knight trilogy, Interstellar, Inception, and most recently Oppenheimer, being some examples, it is a guarantee that anyone who watches one of his films, which can only be described as spectacles, will walk out of the theater with their lives changed. His works have been awarded time and time again, having been nominated for an Academy Award five times.
Being this successful at what he does, it is only natural that Nolan has made some very risky decisions when it comes to creating the films that are so deeply adored now. This was no different when the filmmaker was making his 2006, The Prestige.
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Christopher Nolan Only Wanted David Bowie To Play Nikola Tesla In The Prestige
When films are being made that are based on preexisting characters or events, it is only natural for studios to have specific people in mind that they believe would be perfect for a role, however, many would make sure to have a plan B if the actor that they want to appear in the film does not work out. Christopher Nolan, however, did not do this when it came to The Prestige as the filmmaker had no plan B when he wanted to cast David Bowie in the role of Nikola Tesla.
“When we were casting The Prestige, we had gotten very stuck on the character of Nikola Tesla. Tesla was this other-worldly, ahead-of-his-time figure, and at some point, it occurred to me he was the original Man Who Fell to Earth. As someone who was the biggest Bowie fan in the world, once I made that connection, he seemed to be the only actor capable of playing the part. He had that requisite iconic status, and he was a figure as mysterious as Tesla needed to be.” Nolan stated.
Nolan revealed that he was having quite a lot of trouble trying to figure out who would be the best person to play Tesla while casting for the film. This was until he realized that Bowie would be the perfect person for the role, stating once he made this connection, he could not imagine anyone else in this role.
Christopher Nolan Had To Beg David Bowie To Be In The Prestige
Christopher Nolan’s fixation on having David Bowie play Nikola Tesla in The Prestige seems to have ended up being a problem as the singer and actor wasn’t all too convinced to feature in the film. Though Nolan has established himself as one of the most talented filmmakers of all time, he was still a fairly new addition to the industry at the time, having only made a few famous films like Memento, Insomnia, and Batman Begins.
“It took me a while to convince him, though — he turned down the part the first time. It was the only time I can ever remember trying again with an actor who passed on me. I petitioned to let me explain why he was the right actor for it. In total honesty, I told him if he didn’t agree to do the part, I had no idea where I would go from there. I would say I begged him.” he mentioned.
This was, perhaps, the reason why Bowie initially rejected Nolan’s offer when the film was offered to him. The Oppenheimer filmmaker did not give up, however, asking to talk to Bowie so that he could explain to him why he was the only person right for this role. Nolan revealed that this was the first and the only time that he had ever tried to convince an actor who passed on a project of his why they should reconsider. He went on to say that he was so desperate to have the singer be part of his film that he actually begged him to join the cast.
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Source: Entertainment Weekly
