How to Audition for a Christopher Nolan Production

• “Memento” (2000)
• “Batman Begins” (2005)
• “The Prestige” (2006)
• “The Dark Knight” (2008)
• “Inception” (2010)
• “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012)
• “Interstellar” (2014)
• “Dunkirk” (2017)
• “Tenet” (2020)
• “Oppenheimer” (2023)
• “The Odyssey” (2026)

Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

The British-American filmmaker has worked almost exclusively with Emmy-winning casting director John Papsidera (“Landman,” “Fallout,” “Wednesday,” “The Madison”).

As someone who casts for both cinema and television, Papsidera is an industry veteran with decades of experience. He told us that, in the room, he strives to give actors “a space and a moment to share a bit of their soul” and “the freedom to do the best work they can.”  

He also explained that he’s “not one for a lot of rules” when it comes to auditioning. “It’s more about being present, making smart choices, and being prepared. Those are things that impress me and that make a difference and separate actors from one another. If an actor makes a smart choice or an unpredictable choice in some way, the person who really thinks about the material and tries to come at it creatively rather than just saying lines is nine times out of 10 the person that you’re going to think made a great choice. [They’re] going to stick out from the rest of the crowd.

“It seems simplistic and rudimentary, but it would shock you how many people don’t think it through,” he continued. “It doesn’t mean a random choice, and it doesn’t mean being outrageous. It’s about smart choices. It’s about interpreting the material and character in a certain way that nobody else thought of. Fear gets in the way of making smart choices, being present, and allowing the camera and the process to happen. It’s less about doing…and more about being.”

Ultimately, confidence is what Papsidera is looking for, as it’s “attractive to other people…. Knowing oneself is really what cameras, film, and TV pick up on,” he said. “I believe something magical happens between a camera and a performer in that exchange; and that is what people want to watch.”

John David Washington and Robert Pattinson in “Tenet” Photo Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon 

For Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played Ives in “Tenet,” the audition process was long and arduous. “John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Elizabeth Debicki were already on board, [and ‘Tenet’ was] weeks away from shooting,” he told the Hollywood Reporter. “And I was just waiting in the wings and putting my hand up, going, ‘I would really love to get in a room with Chris Nolan.’

“And it was quite a process, if I’m being honest. I went through a couple of different castings before I could even get in the room to do another audition for him. So it wasn’t a done deal; but the best things are worth fighting for and putting yourself out on a limb [for]. So it didn’t come about that easily; but luckily, he gave me the part. And it didn’t matter to me how big or small the role was. I just wanted to be in his presence on his next movie.”

Cillian Murphy has now appeared in six Nolan films, including leading “Oppenheimer.” But he initially tried—and failed—to play the Dark Knight. While working on “Batman Begins,” Nolan sought out the actor after seeing his turn in Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later” (2002). 

“I remember I was up in San Francisco writing ‘Batman Begins,’ and there was something in the San Francisco Chronicle about ‘28 Days Later,’ ” Nolan told Murphy in a conversation for Entertainment Weekly. “I saw a picture of you with your shaved head and your crazy eyes—no offense—[and] I remember being struck by your presence, literally from that one photograph. And then [I] started to look into who you were and what you’d done and got very excited about the idea of meeting you and having you screen test for Batman.

“When we had our first conversation, I think both of us knew that you weren't going to wind up playing Batman,” the director continued. “But I really wanted to get on set with you; I wanted to get you on film. We did those screen tests very elaborately, on 35mm, with a little set. There was just an electric atmosphere in the crew when you started to perform. 

For “The Odyssey,” Nolan relied heavily on hiring actors he had worked with before, but Mia Goth (“Pearl,” “Frankenstein”), who plays Melantho, had to endure a secretive audition process. As she told the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast host, Josh Horowitz, Goth received dummy sides, which are customary for a Nolan project. When Nolan said he wanted to meet her, Goth said she was “so nervous, I wanted to throw up. I went in there and did the audition, and then I got the job. I had to accept the job before I could even read the script and find out what the role was. So that was a new process.”

Matt Damon in “The Odyssey” Credit:  Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures

Currently, there are no open casting calls, since the director’s upcoming adaptation of Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey” is slated to arrive in theaters this summer. The film was shot in Italy, Malta, Morocco, Greece, Scotland, Iceland, Western Sahara, and Los Angeles between February 2025 and August 2025.

“The Odyssey” is set to hit theaters July 17 and stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, and Samantha Morton.

Even though “The Odyssey” has wrapped, keep in mind that having representation remains the best way to secure an audition for an in-demand project like one of Nolan’s. If you haven’t signed with an agent yet, here’s how to find one.

Christopher Nolan on set of “Oppenheimer” Photo Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures

Nolan told us that he “ought to publish a rule book” on what actors should know before coming into his casting room. Here are his three main guidelines:

• “Do not bring props.”
• “Don’t ask to stand; just sit down and do it.”
• “Don’t ask to do it again when you’ve finished. Just do it once, and have confidence with it.”

Academy Award winner Damon, who has appeared in three Nolan films—“Interstellar,” “Oppenheimer,” and now “The Odyssey”—says you should never let someone else’s assessment of your talent discourage you. 

“When I was younger, everybody told me not to be an actor,” he recalled on an episode of “Off Camera With Sam Jones.” “And to this day, I say that to people who come up to me and say, ‘I’m thinking about going into acting. What do you think?’ I say, ‘Absolutely not. It’s a terrible idea; don’t do it,’ because that’s what everyone said to me. And I think if you’re going to make it in this business that is full of rejection and hardship, you need to believe in yourself despite what everybody you love and trust tells you.” 

Hathaway, who has also starred in three Nolan films—“The Dark Knight Rises,” “Interstellar,” and “The Odyssey”—noted that acting is all about putting your best foot forward…and then letting it go. “I’m a big believer in preparation. For me, it helps keep me steady,” she shared. “I think that performers always have doubts; performers always have fear and anxiety, and there’s nothing I can do about that. There’s nothing I can do about what my adrenal glands do other than breathe and try to motivate. But one of the ways I do keep myself steady is by knowing that I’ve done my homework,” she continued. “Even if you’re feeling insecure, just knowing that you’ve worked hard can pump some worth into a moment…. [But] you don’t want to over-rehearse; you don’t want to get things by rote. It’s not about getting the words perfect; [it’s about] the feeling behind them.”

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who worked with Nolan on “Inception” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” encourages actors to work on their craft no matter their circumstances. “I don’t think you’re going to learn almost anything about acting unless you just do it…. And you don’t have to do it in Hollywood,” he told us. “Show business does not have a monopoly on creativity. Acting is something you can do right now, by yourself. Pick up any book and just start reading it out loud.”