Guy Pearce Blames Warner Bros. for Blacklisting Him from Christopher Nolan Films: ‘I Could Never Work with Chris’ After ‘Memento’

Guy Pearce was not the “guy” for Warner Bros. in the 2000s, apparently.

The actor recalled the brutal feedback his agent received from an unnamed executive at the studio after his lead performance in 2000 film “Memento,” which was directed by Christopher Nolan. Due to the WB executive’s lack of enthusiasm for “The Brutalist” actor, he was essentially blacklisted from working at both the studio and with Nolan. IndieWire has reached out to WB for comment.

Director Nolan began exclusively making films for WB starting with his 2002 psychological thriller “Insomnia.” He parted ways with the studio after the 2020 streaming release of “Tenet”; Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” was a Universal Pictures film, and he is teaming up again with Universal for his new, currently untitled feature.

“He spoke to me about roles a few times over the years,” Pearce said about working with Nolan again. “[It was about] the first ‘Batman’ and ‘The Prestige.’ But there was an executive at Warner Bros. who quite openly said to my agent, ‘I don’t get Guy Pearce. I’m never going to get Guy Pearce. I’m never going to employ Guy Pearce.’ So, in a way, that’s good to know. I mean, fair enough; there are some actors I don’t get. But it meant I could never work with Chris.”

Pearce continued that he specifically missed out on playing Ra’s al Ghul in Nolan’s “Batman Begins” due to the bias behind WB. Liam Neeson was instead cast in the role.

“They flew me to London to discuss the Liam Neeson role and I think it was decided on my flight that I wasn’t going to be in the movie,” Pearce said. “So I get there and Chris is like ‘Hey, you want to see the Batmobile and get dinner?'”

Pearce recently told Variety during the “Awards Circuit” podcast that Nolan is the same kind of filmmaker as late auteur Stanley Kubrick.

“Chris is extraordinary. He has this Kubrick-like precision and a way of making even the most complex ideas accessible,” Pearce said. “To be on set with him, in that intimate setting, was unforgettable.”

He added of Nolan’s career after “Memento,” “It’s incredible to see how far he’s come — winning Oscars, making massive films like ‘Oppenheimer.’ But for me, it’s still that first experience of seeing his genius up close that stands out.”