Christopher Nolan and Robert Downey Jr. on July 13, 2023.Photo:Gareth Cattermole/GettyChristopher Nolanwas nervous to meetRobert Downey Jr.In a new interview forThe New York Timesrecorded the day afterOppenheimerreceived 13 Oscarnominationsin January, director Nolan, 53, and Downey, 58, recalled when they first met while Nolan wascasting roles for his 2005 movieBatman Begins.Downey recently made headlines for referencing a one-off meeting with Nolan about playing the Batman villain Scarecrow. At the time, he said he could tell during this meeting that Nolan was not going to offer him the role, which Nolan confirmed during theTimesdiscussion.“I 100 percent knew you weren’t the guy. In my head that was already cast,” Nolan said. “But I always wanted to meet you.““No, I was a huge admirer of yours and therefore selfishly just wanted to take the meeting,” he added, after Downey said their original meeting “was one of those thoughtful yet gratuitous meetings.““But I was also a little afraid of you, you know,” the filmmaker said. “I had heard all kinds of stories about how you were crazy. It was only a few years after the last of those stories that had come out about you.“Robert Downey Jr. and Christopher Nolan on July 12, 2023.Ian West/PA Images via GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Asked how Nolan moved past his “misgivings” regarding Downey’s reputation prior to his decade-long run as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor joked, “You let 10 or 12 years pass and watch the news cycle.“Downey, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the upcoming Oscars for his role inOppenheimer, made headlines in the late 1990s formultiple arrests. The actorgot sober in 2002, some time before he met Nolan and was first cast as Tony Stark in 2008’sIron Man, which Nolan told the outlet he believes is “one of the most significant and consequential casting decisions in Hollywood history.“Robert Downey Jr. and Christopher Nolan on Jan. 18, 2024.Matt Winkelmeyer/GettyDowney’s performance inOppenheimeras Lewis Strauss marks just his second feature film role since he gave up Iron Man’s suit following the character’s demise in 2019’sAvengers: Endgame.As Nolan told theTimes, working with Downey in his post-Marvel career proved appealing for hisOppenheimercharacter, who clashes with J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) throughout the film and proves distinctly different from the charismatic Tony Stark.“You’re always looking to work with great actors, but you’re also looking to catch them in a moment in their lives and careers where you’ve got something to offer them that they haven’t done before, or haven’t done in a long time,” Nolan said. “I just really wanted to see this incredible movie star put down all of that baggage, that charisma, and just lose himself in a dramatic portrayal of a very complicated man.“I always wanted to work with him, really,” he added. “Once I stopped being afraid of him.“Oppenheimeris streaming on Peacock Friday.
Christopher Nolan and Robert Downey Jr. on July 13, 2023.Photo:Gareth Cattermole/Getty
Gareth Cattermole/Getty
Christopher Nolanwas nervous to meetRobert Downey Jr.In a new interview forThe New York Timesrecorded the day afterOppenheimerreceived 13 Oscarnominationsin January, director Nolan, 53, and Downey, 58, recalled when they first met while Nolan wascasting roles for his 2005 movieBatman Begins.Downey recently made headlines for referencing a one-off meeting with Nolan about playing the Batman villain Scarecrow. At the time, he said he could tell during this meeting that Nolan was not going to offer him the role, which Nolan confirmed during theTimesdiscussion.“I 100 percent knew you weren’t the guy. In my head that was already cast,” Nolan said. “But I always wanted to meet you.““No, I was a huge admirer of yours and therefore selfishly just wanted to take the meeting,” he added, after Downey said their original meeting “was one of those thoughtful yet gratuitous meetings.““But I was also a little afraid of you, you know,” the filmmaker said. “I had heard all kinds of stories about how you were crazy. It was only a few years after the last of those stories that had come out about you.“Robert Downey Jr. and Christopher Nolan on July 12, 2023.Ian West/PA Images via GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Asked how Nolan moved past his “misgivings” regarding Downey’s reputation prior to his decade-long run as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor joked, “You let 10 or 12 years pass and watch the news cycle.“Downey, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the upcoming Oscars for his role inOppenheimer, made headlines in the late 1990s formultiple arrests. The actorgot sober in 2002, some time before he met Nolan and was first cast as Tony Stark in 2008’sIron Man, which Nolan told the outlet he believes is “one of the most significant and consequential casting decisions in Hollywood history.“Robert Downey Jr. and Christopher Nolan on Jan. 18, 2024.Matt Winkelmeyer/GettyDowney’s performance inOppenheimeras Lewis Strauss marks just his second feature film role since he gave up Iron Man’s suit following the character’s demise in 2019’sAvengers: Endgame.As Nolan told theTimes, working with Downey in his post-Marvel career proved appealing for hisOppenheimercharacter, who clashes with J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) throughout the film and proves distinctly different from the charismatic Tony Stark.“You’re always looking to work with great actors, but you’re also looking to catch them in a moment in their lives and careers where you’ve got something to offer them that they haven’t done before, or haven’t done in a long time,” Nolan said. “I just really wanted to see this incredible movie star put down all of that baggage, that charisma, and just lose himself in a dramatic portrayal of a very complicated man.“I always wanted to work with him, really,” he added. “Once I stopped being afraid of him.“Oppenheimeris streaming on Peacock Friday.
Christopher Nolanwas nervous to meetRobert Downey Jr.
In a new interview forThe New York Timesrecorded the day afterOppenheimerreceived 13 Oscarnominationsin January, director Nolan, 53, and Downey, 58, recalled when they first met while Nolan wascasting roles for his 2005 movieBatman Begins.
Downey recently made headlines for referencing a one-off meeting with Nolan about playing the Batman villain Scarecrow. At the time, he said he could tell during this meeting that Nolan was not going to offer him the role, which Nolan confirmed during theTimesdiscussion.
“I 100 percent knew you weren’t the guy. In my head that was already cast,” Nolan said. “But I always wanted to meet you.”
“No, I was a huge admirer of yours and therefore selfishly just wanted to take the meeting,” he added, after Downey said their original meeting “was one of those thoughtful yet gratuitous meetings.”
“But I was also a little afraid of you, you know,” the filmmaker said. “I had heard all kinds of stories about how you were crazy. It was only a few years after the last of those stories that had come out about you.”
Robert Downey Jr. and Christopher Nolan on July 12, 2023.Ian West/PA Images via Getty
Ian West/PA Images via Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Asked how Nolan moved past his “misgivings” regarding Downey’s reputation prior to his decade-long run as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor joked, “You let 10 or 12 years pass and watch the news cycle.”
Downey, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the upcoming Oscars for his role inOppenheimer, made headlines in the late 1990s formultiple arrests. The actorgot sober in 2002, some time before he met Nolan and was first cast as Tony Stark in 2008’sIron Man, which Nolan told the outlet he believes is “one of the most significant and consequential casting decisions in Hollywood history.”
Robert Downey Jr. and Christopher Nolan on Jan. 18, 2024.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Downey’s performance inOppenheimeras Lewis Strauss marks just his second feature film role since he gave up Iron Man’s suit following the character’s demise in 2019’sAvengers: Endgame.
As Nolan told theTimes, working with Downey in his post-Marvel career proved appealing for hisOppenheimercharacter, who clashes with J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) throughout the film and proves distinctly different from the charismatic Tony Stark.
“You’re always looking to work with great actors, but you’re also looking to catch them in a moment in their lives and careers where you’ve got something to offer them that they haven’t done before, or haven’t done in a long time,” Nolan said. “I just really wanted to see this incredible movie star put down all of that baggage, that charisma, and just lose himself in a dramatic portrayal of a very complicated man.
“I always wanted to work with him, really,” he added. “Once I stopped being afraid of him.”
Oppenheimeris streaming on Peacock Friday.
source: people.com
