Christopher Nolan is one of the most respected directors of the 21st century. While he technically made his debut with Following in 1998, Nolan’s breakout work is largely considered to be Memento, which was released in 2000. This movie earned Nolan his first Oscar nomination, for Best Original Screenplay, based on the script he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan Nolan. Memento is perhaps one of Nolan’s most classic examples of playing with time as a storytelling device, a motif that would become a signature tool throughout his work.

Memento was well-received, and Nolan’s filmography has developed growing clout over the years. The director’s first movie to be nominated for Best Picture ended up being Inception. From there, multiple other Nolan films would be nominated for Oscars, including Dunkirk and Oppenheimer. The latter film would go on to become Nolan’s first movie to win Best Picture, and also earned the auteur an award for Best Director. As Nolan continues work on The Odyssey, acting icon John Lithgow names the movie that he considers to be Nolan’s masterpiece.

Lithgow Thinks Interstellar Is Nolan’s Masterpiece

Lithgow Played Donald In The Movie

Actor John Lithgow selects Interstellar as the Nolan movie that he considers to be a masterpiece. The sci-fi epic was released in 2014 and starred Matthew McConaughey as a former NASA pilot, Cooper, who pilots a spacecraft that attempts to find a new planet for humans when Earth becomes increasingly uninhabitable. Lithgow played a supporting role in Interstellar, playing Cooper’s father-in-law, Donald. Interstellar‘s cast also included Anne Hathaway, Mackenzie Foy, Jessica Chastain, Ellen Burstyn, David Oyelowo, and a young Timothée Chalamet.

In an interview with Variety, Lithgow touts Interstellar as Nolan’s masterpiece. Lithgow begins by fondly recalling an Interstellar scene that he got to film with Chalamet, noting that he later got to “watch him turn into a superstar.” The Donald actor goes so far as to refer to Interstellar as Nolan’s “masterpiece” yet admitted that the director has “come up with a few masterpieces.” Check out the full quote from Lithgow below:

We go see the New York Yankees play in what looks like a community recreation center ballfield. Because you know, there’s only 10% of the world’s population left. And yet we’re trying to keep alive the way things used to be. You know of course, I was the old man. I was the grandad of Timothée Chalamet, I might add. I consider it Chris Nolan’s masterpiece, but he’s come up with a few masterpieces. But a great time. And I got to work with Timothée and watch him turn into a superstar. A much much much bigger deal than I am.

What This Means For Interstellar

Interstellar Has Had A Lasting Impact

While Interstellar had an overall positive reception at the time of its release, it is far from Nolan’s top-rated film. In fact, among the stiff compeтιтion, the sci-fi epic is one of Nolan’s lowest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes. That said, the 10th-anniversary screenings of the film last year had a decent box office showing for a re-release. Coupled with Lithgow’s praise, this trend shows the lasting impact of Interstellar in the cultural zeitgeist, despite being overshadowed by some of Nolan‘s other work.

Source: Variety