Guy Pearce says a Warner Bros executive blocked him from appearing in Christopher Nolan movies after Memento

Guy Pearce starred in Christopher Nolan’s Memento, the neo-noir that put the director on the map and set him up for The Dark Knight trilogy, The Prestige, Interstellar, Oppenheimer, and more. So why haven’t the pair ever worked together again? In a conversation with Vanity Fair, Pearce explained that he did come close to reuniting with Nolan several times, but a Warner Bros. executive seemingly had it out for him.

“[Nolan] spoke to me about roles a few times over the years. The first Batman and The Prestige,” Pearce said. “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.” Up until Oppenheimer, Nolan made nearly all his movies with Warner Bros. When asked if he had done something to offend this executive, Pearce responded, “I think he just didn’t believe in me as an actor.“

Pearce explained how Nolan thought he’d be right for a part in Batman Begins, but the executive put the kibosh on it while he was flying over. “They flew me to London, to discuss the Liam Neeson role for Batman, 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?’“

The actor will next star in The Brutalist, which has received rave reviews since its debut at the Venice International Film Festival. “Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth (Adrian Brody) arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet (Felicty Jones) after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes,” reads the official synopsis. “On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Pearce) recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost…” Our own Chris Bumbray said the film is “pretty close to being a masterpiece.” You can check out his full review right here. The Brutalist will hit theaters on December 20th.