Christopher Nolan Finds Technology Distracting From His Work
Christopher Nolan told The Hollywood Reporter that he writes his scripts on a computer with no internet connection.
The "Oppenheimer" director says his kids call him a "Luddite" because he doesn't carry a smartphone.
Instead of email, Nolan even flew to Ireland to deliver his "Oppenheimer" script to Cillian Murphy by hand.
Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Christopher Nolan says that he doesn't carry a smartphone, doesn't use email, and writes all his scripts on a computer that has no internet connection.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter alongside "Oppenheimer" stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon, the director revealed his preference for doing things the old-school way.
"My kids would probably say I'm a complete Luddite," Nolan told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview that was published on Friday. "I would actually resist that description. I think technology and what it can provide is amazing. My personal choice is about how involved I get."
The "Oppenheimer" director says that it's not that he's averse to technology, he just finds it distracting from his work.
"If I'm generating my material and writing my own scripts, being on a smartphone all day wouldn't be very useful for me," Nolan said.
This strong preference for doing things the analog way even manifests in the methods that Nolan uses to send his scripts to the actors.
Instead of using email, the 52-year-old filmmaker would rather personally deliver them; Nolan even flew to Ireland to see Murphy and waited for the actor to read the script, per The Hollywood Reporter.
"People will say, 'Why do you work in secrecy?' " Nolan said. "Well, it's not secrecy, it's privacy. It's being able to try things, to make mistakes, to be as adventurous as possible. And to be able to sit with somebody who's just read what you've written and get their take on it, see how they connect with it in a very human, face-to-face way."
This is not the first time that the British-American director has made comments about his technological preferences.
Nolan told People magazine in December 2020 that he has "a little flip phone" that he brings along with him "from time to time" because he doesn't want to have easy access to the internet every time he's bored.
In October 2014, The New York Times also reported that Nolan doesn't have an email address — his assistant handles his emails and prints out the important ones so that the filmmaker can read them in physical form.
Source: Insider
