Christopher Nolan has revealed that there is a line of dialogue in his 2008 film The Dark Knight that continues to “plague” him to this day.
The director made the admission in a new interview with Deadline, where he found himself discussing how the real Robert Oppenheimer was treated poorly by the US government after his role in the Second World War.
In Nolan’s Oppenheimer, the real-life American physicist who played a pivotal role in the creation of the atomic bomb in World War II is played by Cillian Murphy.
Often dubbed ‘the father of the atomic bomb’, Oppenheimer was instrumental in the development of the nuclear weapons that were used in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict in human history.
And yet, as Nolan explains, it is a line from The Dark Knight that he feels resonates with the real Oppenheimer’s plight.
“I’m plagued by a line from The Dark Knight, and I’m plagued by it because I didn’t write it,” Nolan said. “My brother [Jonathan] wrote it. It kills me, because it’s the line that most resonates. And at the time, I didn’t even understand it. He says, ‘You either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain.’”
“I read it in his draft, and I was like, ‘All right, I’ll keep it in there, but I don’t really know what it means. Is that really a thing?’ And then, over the years since that film’s come out, it just seems truer and truer. In this story, it’s absolutely that. Build them up, tear them down. It’s the way we treat people.”
As depicted in Oppenheimer, the physicist became the subject of a 1954 security hearing by the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and had his life, family and friends probed extensively for suspected links to left-wing and communist organisations. The hearing ended with Oppenheimer’s security clearance being revoked.
Oppenheimer was the biggest winner at this year’s BAFTAs, winning a total of seven, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Murphy. It is also predicted to dominate this year’s Oscars, currently sitting on 13 nominations.
Nolan used his acceptance speech at the BAFTAs to pay tribute to the people who have fought for nuclear disarmament. “In accepting this, I do just want to acknowledge their efforts and point out that they show the necessity and potential of efforts for peace,” he said.
Cillian Murphy also recently disclosed the touching note that Nolan left on the front page of his script for Oppenheimer when he first read it: “Dearest Cillian. Finally, a chance to see you lead… Love, Chris,” the note read.