Christopher Nolan addresses on-set chair ban that's sitting well as Twitter meme
Chair-less whispers: Nolan comments on reports that he's not always a fan of chairs.
Does taking a knee count as sitting? Director Christopher Nolan discusses a scene with Matthew McConaughey on the set of Interstellar.
If you weren't allowed to sit at work, would you get more done? Tenet movie director Christopher Nolan believes chairs encourage an unproductive movie set, according to actor Anne Hathaway, who worked with Nolan on 2012 Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises.
"Chris also doesn't allow chairs ... and his reasoning is, if you have chairs, people will sit, and if they're sitting, they're not working," Hathaway told Variety on Monday. "He has these incredible movies in terms of scope and ambition and technical prowess and emotion. It always arrives at the end under schedule and under budget. I think he's onto something with the chair thing."
Apparently Christopher Nolan doesn't allow chairs for his actors on set? Watch the full conversation between Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman here: https://t.co/Kvj1ouLAwh pic.twitter.com/8suPFCU1yZ
— Variety (@Variety) June 29, 2020
On Tuesday, a representative for Nolan issued a statement explaining the filmmaker's thoughts about chairs on set.
"For the record, the only things banned from [Nolan's] sets are cell phones (not always successfully) and smoking (very successfully)," Nolan's spokesperson told Indiewire. "The chairs Anne was referring to are the directors' chairs clustered around the video monitor, allocated on the basis of hierarchy not physical need. Chris chooses not to use his but has never banned chairs from the set. Cast and crew can sit wherever and whenever they need, and frequently do."
By the time Nolan issued his statement, however, fans had already taken to Twitter with their own hilarious reactions to the anti-sitting idea.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 writer and actor Bill Corbett suggested a chair prank perfect for Nolan.
That time we pranked Christopher Nolan on set pic.twitter.com/tMp7wVAnrd
— Bill Corbett (@BillCorbett) June 29, 2020
Other fans suggested musical chairs and restaurant seating could trigger Nolan into pure shock.
Preschool teacher: “Today we are going to play musical chairs”
— Lunwi (@Lunwi88) June 29, 2020
Christopher Nolan: pic.twitter.com/Fc1sW9tAMY
christopher nolan when he goes to a restaurant and has to sit at a table to eat his food https://t.co/ai6IYlO80d pic.twitter.com/ShcXGnhbOt
— wyatt / SKATE 4 REAL (@velvetxero) June 29, 2020
Here are a few more chair jokes worthy of a standing ovation.
All I see in this shot now is...that empty chair.
— An Iconic Shot (@AnIconicShot) June 29, 2020
I mean, who put it there? Did someone get fired for doing so? My mind wonders how many poor sods in the crew were dreaming of sitting on it...
I've lost it🤦🏽♂️
Gotta love Christopher Nolan tho.#ChristopherNolan #Inception pic.twitter.com/M0v9XHbXQ1
Christopher Nolan when he sees a chair on set https://t.co/8dJe45KU1x pic.twitter.com/UXzNofkEMa
— Screen Junkies (@screenjunkies) June 29, 2020
The entirety of The Prestige was improvised when Christopher Nolan brought a single chair to the set and instructed Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale fight to the death for it
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) June 30, 2020
The actors on Christopher Nolan next movie when he sees why he's trending. pic.twitter.com/qMzrB6mzHy
— Travon Free (@Travon) June 29, 2020
Guys you don't understand, when Christopher Nolan was younger, a chair crashed through his window, frightening him
— Brian Lynch (@BrianLynch) June 29, 2020
rt to scare christopher nolan pic.twitter.com/ulRtf7ix26
— taran // BLM // ACAB (@thebatman_2021) June 29, 2020
Even the Joker is in on the gag.
"It's simple ... we remove the chairs." - Christopher Nolan, probably pic.twitter.com/whcYHHjIz0
— The Ringer (@ringer) June 29, 2020
One movie fan pointed out all the memorable sitting moments in Nolan's previous movies such as the Batman film The Dark Knight, Inception, and Interstellar, and Memento.
Iconic sitting-in-chairs moments from Christopher Nolan films: a series. pic.twitter.com/IXjuur9mKw
— Nick de Semlyen (@NickdeSemlyen) June 29, 2020
Another fan points out images of actor Robert Pattinson sitting own on location during the filming of Nolan's upcoming movie, Tenet.
Christopher Nolan Doesn’t Allow Chairs On His Sets Because If People Sit, “They’re Not Working”
— hann (@palisayn_) June 29, 2020
Robert: Pattinson pic.twitter.com/o2seKy6UO3
Nolan has yet to publicly saying anything about his unusual no-chair rule, but it must be working in his favorite considering all the nominations and awards he's earned for his previous films.
Fans will have to wait to see how much his characters sit in his newest movie Tenet, which hits theaters on Aug. 12.
