Christopher Nolan, director: We need to take risks

Christopher Nolan, director: We need to take risks

From The Interview by BBC World Service

July 16, 2026 · 24 min

About this episode

Katie Razzall interviews Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan about the importance of taking risks in filmmaking.

“The biggest risk in motion pictures is to not take a risk. You have to be putting it out there and offering people something new, and that's what will get them out of their houses.” Katie Razzall speaks to Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan. The 55-year-old, whose directing credits include Inception, Interstellar and Oppenheimer, is widely considered one of the 21st century’s most influential filmmakers. Born in London in 1970, his career began in the mid-1990s, when he would proofread scripts, operate cameras and direct for corporate information films. Barely a decade later, he was chosen to direct Christian Bale as Batman in The Dark Knight trilogy, setting a new standard for how superheroes were portrayed on screen. A string of blockbusters followed, making him one of the highest-grossing directors of all time, and was later knighted in 2024 for his services to film. He’s now releasing his latest project, The Odyssey - an ambitious adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek story, starring a Hollywood A-List cast, including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya. Thank you to the Culture team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with…

People in this episode

Host: Katie Razzall

Guest: Christopher Nolan

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC World Service

Books & works: Inception, Interstellar, Oppenheimer, The Dark Knight trilogy, The Odyssey

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