Christopher Nolan was pretty direct when Timothee Chalamet asked if he ever let his performers “off the leash.”
In a conversation between the actor and director, Chalamet pointed to examples like Marlon Brando in “Apocalypse Now” or even Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker in Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” as times where an actor seemed to be given a bit more leeway with their performance.
“Do you find with actors sometimes that you loosen the leash or something – that’s a bad way of putting it,” Chalamet asked. “Where someone gets a different set of … a little more bandwidth or something. Or is that not going to make any sense?”
Nolan gave a quick response because he had a feeling he knew what the “Marty Supreme” actor was really asking.
“It makes sense, but no, I don’t indulge people like you doing crazy s–t,” Nolan said. “I know the question underneath the question.”
Chalamet is hurtling toward the end of award season. He seems poised as the frontrunner to win the Best Actor Oscar. It would be the first Academy Award win for Chalamet who is set for another big year with “Dune Part 3” releasing at the end of 2026.
Nolan is also readying himself for a big 2026. Coming off his Academy Award victories for “Oppenheimer,” this summer will see the release of his next film “The Odyssey” starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and many more stars.
Chalamet likely knows Nolan’s process firsthand since he worked with the director on 2014’s “Interstellar.”
