Christopher Nolan Says ‘You’re Not Meant to Understand Everything’ in ‘Tenet’

Christopher Nolan took over The Late Show last night with a lengthy sit-down interview with host Stephen Colbert. The pair discussed Oppenheimer, the director’s Oscar-nominated film, as well as his other work, including the divisive Tenet.

“Some people say they don’t understand Tenet,” Colbert said. “Some people say they don’t understand everything in Tenet. Do you understand everything in Tenet?”

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“You’re not meant to understand everything in Tenet,” Nolan replied. “It’s not all comprehensible. It’s a bit like asking if I know what happens to the spinning top at the end of Inception.”

“Do you know what happens to the spinning top at the end of Inception?” Colbert interrupted. Nolan responded, “I have to have my idea of it for it to be a valid, productive ambiguity. But the point of it is it’s an ambiguity.”

Colbert then unleashed several Tenet theories despite Nolan saying “I don’t allow myself to comment on fan theories anymore.”

Elsewhere in the multi-part interview, Nolan talked about writing his films and selecting the cast.

The director explained recreating an atomic explosion in Oppenheimer.

Nolan shared with Colbert why he carries a burner phone.

The pair explored the music and soundtracks to Nolan’s film, including how they impact his writing process.

Colbert also promoted Nolan’s appearance on The Late Show with a hilarious bit where he pretended to be Oppenheimer, played in the film by Cillian Murphy.

Tenet, released in 2020, has been in the cultural conversation recently after Nolan shared that he once took a Peloton class where the instructor insulted the movie. The instructor turned out to be Jenn Sherman, who responded to Nolan’s comments on Instagram, who said she loved Oppenheimer and invited Nolan to ride with her in the New York studio.

In January, Nolan won the Golden Globe for Best Director for Oppenheimer. In his speech, he said, “I thought it’d be simpler accepting for myself. But as a director, of course, as I stand here, I suddenly realize I can only accept this on behalf of people. As directors, we bring people together, and we try and get them to give their best.”

Because Tenet was released during the pandemic, few viewers have ever had the experience of seeing the film in a theater full of other moviegoers. But beginning next week, on Feb. 23, the film will be re-released in select theaters across major cities in the US and Canada in 70mm IMAX, IMAX Digital and Standard 70mm. The week-long engagement will also feature exclusive footage from Dune: Part Two, Dennis Villeneuve’s forthcoming film set for release on March 1.

“Seeing the way audiences responded to our large format presentations of ‘Oppenheimer,’ I’m thrilled that Warner Bros. is giving audiences a chance to see ‘Tenet’ the way it was intended to be seen, on the largest IMAX and large format film screens,” Nolan shared in a statement. “And I’m honored to have our movie warm up the film projectors for Denis’ jawdropping ‘Dune: Part Two.’”

“As an audience member, I have always valued Chris’s forward thinking when it comes to shooting on film and especially in large formats. As directors, we are completely in sync; on ‘Dune,’ we shot several sequences for IMAX, and I simply loved it, so for ‘Dune: Part Two,’ we pushed it to 100 percent of the movie,” Villeneuve added. “That is why I am just as eager to see ‘Tenet’ again, but now in 70mm IMAX, the way they filmed it, to fully appreciate his vision for this incredible film.”

Tickets are on sale now.

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