Christopher Nolan rom-com? Director says the idea would terrify him
Christopher Nolan told Jimmy Fallon that making a romantic comedy would scare him because comedy leaves filmmakers nowhere to hide.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Christopher Nolan rom-com dreams may have to stay in the group chat. The two-time Oscar winner told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that he would be “terrified” to try a romantic comedy, even though he enjoys watching them.
Nolan, whose The Odyssey has already crossed $600 million worldwide, according to Deadline, said the genre looks far harder from the director’s chair than it may seem from the audience. His reason was blunt: comedy gives a filmmaker immediate, unforgiving feedback.
Would Christopher Nolan make a rom-com?
Asked about the idea on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Nolan did not sound eager to swap mythic voyages and mind-bending spectacle for meet-cutes. He said, “I think doing a rom-com would be incredibly difficult. I love watching those movies.”
He went on to praise filmmakers and performers who can pull off comedy, saying he considers it “one of the hardest things in the world” to make people laugh in that way.
Nolan said the risk is different from the kind he faces on his own films. If an audience does not respond to certain parts of one of his movies, he joked that he can tell himself they “don’t get it.” With comedy, he said, that kind of cover disappears because the room either laughs or it does not.
“There’s no hiding behind that when you do comedy,” Nolan said, adding that the pressure is why he would be afraid to take on that sort of project.
What is The Odyssey about?
The Odyssey is Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient epic. The story follows Odysseus, played by Matt Damon, during a 10-year journey home after the Trojan War.
According to the film’s description reported by Deadline, Odysseus faces trials and mythic encounters while trying to return to his wife Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway, and their son Telemachus, played by Tom Holland.
The cast also includes Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Mia Goth and Travis Scott.
Nolan’s comments arrived as The Odyssey continues its strong box office run. Deadline reported that the film has passed the $600 million mark globally, adding another commercial milestone to a career known for large-scale theatrical releases.
For now, Nolan sounds more comfortable sending Odysseus through monsters, storms and a decade of hardship than sending two charming leads toward a happy ending. He made clear on Fallon’s show that he respects romantic comedy, but the challenge of making audiences laugh on cue is enough to keep him away.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.