The Odyssey’s promotion made me like Christopher Nolan in a new way. Nolan’s mythology has never been greater than it is currently, with yet another box office success and all of those Oscars on his desk. But as people treat him like the wisest filmmaking elder, Nolan has never been looser and more “normal.” He’s been exceptionally chatty during promotion, he’s been openly complimentary about other filmmakers, and he’s been really open about his life, his work and his mindset. Perhaps we really are witnessing an artist at the height of his power, who no longer feels the need to keep up the appearance of an impossible genius. After The Odyssey’s premiere last week, Nolan chatted with the Hollywood Reporter about the film, his dog and whether he’ll make a horror film.

The Odyssey & Oppenheimer: “Now that I look back on it after finishing The Odyssey, there are interesting parallels [to Oppenheimer]. I try to leave each film I do with thematic concerns and questions that stay a little bit open for me and hopefully the audience too. They are things that I want to explore further without being too self-conscious about it. In trying to tell The Odyssey for a modern audience and looking at the archeological history and the collapse of the Bronze Age, yeah, I think there are compelling parallels.

Zeus’ law aka the Golden Rule: “The fact that we have mutual respect is what, to some extent, defines civilization. I don’t think that’s something that can be entirely imposed by, for example, a religious framework. I think it has to be innate in us for that to be as prevalent and as effective as it has been over thousands of years.”

He & his wife got their first dog when their kids left for college: “It’s funny when you look at the films you’ve made and how they parallel your life. You get married, and then you make a film in which that relationship is important. You have kids, and then you find yourself making films about trying to get home for your kids. I had never had a dog, and a few years ago, we got our first dog as the kids were leaving for college. They were kind of bitter about it. They’d always wanted a dog, and we’d never been able to have one because we were traveling too much. And coming to The Odyssey, it’s the ultimate dog movie. So I was definitely better prepared to take on the ultimate dog movie having become a dog owner.

Whether he wants to make a horror film: “[My fans] don’t need to beg me to tell a horror story anymore. Just buy a ticket. [The Odyssey] very much whets my appetite for more. But I’ve always believed that horror as a genre has to be approached very carefully from a conceptual point of view. In other words, you have to have an amazing idea. When you go see a film like Obsession, that’s an amazing idea. That movie works like a motherf–er. It’s not about the technical side. It’s not about what technical itches I would have to scratch. It’s about story. So I’m always looking.

Whether he’s optimistic that the Golden Rule will always prevail: “I am. It’s interesting you make a parallel with [Speak No Evil] because that’s a very dark film. I actually see [The Odyssey] in brighter terms than that. The fact that we have mutual respect is what, to some extent, defines civilization. I don’t think that’s something that can be entirely imposed by, for example, a religious framework. I think it has to be innate in us for that to be as prevalent and as effective as it has been over thousands of years.

Robert Pattinson gave him a book of Oppenheimer’s speeches as a ‘Tenet’ wrap gift: “Did Rob hand me some horror novel by Stephen King that’ll make an excellent adaptation? Sadly, no, that is not the case. But I had a great time working with Rob again, and I will always be grateful to him for his wrap gift on Tenet.”

[From THR]

Can we talk about the Pattinson thing? You can say a lot about Pattinson having the soul of a very weird little gremlin, but he’s also a very well-read, thoughtful and interesting man. Like, what a crazy piece of film lore, for Pattinson to give Nolan a book of Robert Oppenheimer’s speeches as a wrap gift. It makes me wonder what else Pattinson has given out as wrap gifts. As for Nolan doing horror… I would like to see it, because he has included some horror-esque pieces in his previous films. I think if he ever decided to make straight-up horror, it would be really great, because he knows how to bring a very unsettling vibe to a scene. And more compliments for Obsession – he keeps talking about Obsession and Backrooms and how much he loves what Curry Barker and Kane Parsons are doing. What a moment for those young filmmakers.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.