Christopher Nolan Refuses To Answer Fan Theories For A Good Reason
There are countless incredible stories out there that stand tall on their own merits, but the various ideas added to them by online devotees can cast those stories in an entirely new light. This is the power of fan theories. While these extrapolations have varying levels of believability, many creators are hesitant to stamp them out as they only aid in fans' enjoyment of the work. But that doesn't mean the creators are interested in commenting on fan theories either way.
During a recent appearance on "Late Night with Stephen Colbert," writer-director Christopher Nolan shared that he no longer engages with fan theories. To explain why, he cited a moment when he answered a question too literally while promoting his second feature, "Memento."
Nolan shared that while doing press after a screening of the movie at the Venice Film Festival, he was asked to explain the ending. "And I said, 'Well, the important thing is it's ambiguous, it's unknowable, but yeah, what I think is blah, blah, blah,'" Nolan recalled.
The filmmaker went on to explain that his brother, Jonathan Nolan, set him straight after the interview: "My brother Jonathan took me aside after that and said, 'You can never do that again.'" The "Oppenheimer" director recalled that Jonathan told him that if he wanted something to be ambiguous, he needed to let it be ambiguous rather than speak on it.
Both Jonathan and Christopher Nolan value ambiguity
Christopher Nolan broke down the interaction he had with his brother following the press conference where the exchange happened. "I say, 'But I said it's ambiguous,'" Nolan recalled. "He said, 'No one listened to that. They want an answer, so if you're looking for ambiguity, you're looking for open possibilities. You have to keep your mouth shut.'"
As fans of the filmmaker will know, Christopher Nolan is no stranger to leaving things open to interpretation at the end of a movie. The writer-director famously wrapped up his dream heist thriller "Inception" without confirming one way or another if the film's lead, Cobb (Leonardo Dicaprio), is still in a dream when he returns to his family at last.
For his part, Jonathan Nolan is no stranger to leaving things open either, as his mystery box TV series "Westworld" was constantly asking twice as many questions as it was answering. Jonathan is also responsible for the source material that inspired Christopher Nolan's "Momento," so he certainly knows a thing or two about the power of ambiguity.