Christopher Nolan Praises Nathan Fielder’s ‘Revolutionary Television’ Shows

Summary

• Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie co-created and star in the genre-bending series The Curse, which has received critical acclaim.
• Christopher Nolan praised Fielder’s previous work, including the docu-comedy series The Rehearsal, and Safdie’s collaborations with his brother on independent cinema projects.
• Nolan described The Curse as unlike anything he’s seen on television before, comparing it to groundbreaking shows like Twin Peaks and The Prisoner, and expressed anticipation for its climax.

Nathan Fielder has a big fan in Christopher Nolan. The Oppenheimer director recently moderated a Q&A with Fielder and Benny Safdie about their Showtime series The Curse. Fielder and Safdie co-created the genre-bending series and star alongside Emma Stone. While introducing the two, Nolan referenced another of Fielder’s series: The Rehearsal. Fielder created, wrote, directed, and starred in the docu-comedy series that sees ordinary people rehearse difficult conversations or situations on sets and actors.

“I want to introduce the minds behind the show you’ve just seen, starting with Nathan Fielder. I’m sure you’re all familiar with his work, but if you haven’t caught ‘The Rehearsal,’ it’s absolutely revolutionary television. So catch up with that. And Benny Safdie, who with his brother, Josh, has made some of the most exciting and adventurous independent cinema of late.”

Besides The Rehearsal and The Curse (his first scripted series), Fielder is behind 2013’s Nathan for You, which follows him as he provides business advice (always unconventional and questionable) to local businesses. Safdie is a director, writer, editor, and actor who often collaborates with his brother Josh on directorial projects. Those efforts include the critically acclaimed movies Good Time, Heaven Knows What, and Uncut Gems.

Expanding on The Curse, Nolan added:

“It’s an incredible show, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen on television before. There are so few shows that come along that have genuinely no precedence. You’re going back to things like ‘Twin Peaks,’ or ‘The Prisoner,’ or Dennis Potter’s ‘Singing Detective’ and things like that, so you’re in an amazing space, and I can’t wait to catch up with the climax.”

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Christopher Nolan Praises Emma Stone’s Performance in The Curse

Showtime

The Curse centers on Whitney (Stone) and Asher Siegel (Fielder), a newlywed couple struggling to bring their vision for eco-conscious housing to the small community of Española, New Mexico. An alleged curse threatens their relationship as they work on launching an HGTV reality series, where an eccentrically flawed reality TV producer, Dougie (Safdie), sees an opportunity in their story.

The Curse has amassed critical praise, with many noting Stone’s “brilliant” performance. Speaking about the Poor Thing actress, Nolan shared:

“[I] want to talk about Emma Stone. And Whitney, because it’s—she’s absolutely, I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say, as the series develops, she can be pretty maddening at times, in a very credible way. The performance I think, is absolutely amazing and wonderful. She’s totally in it. And there is an absolute lack of, I mean, for a star to play a part with an absolute lack of vanity, and no apander to the audience. No appealing to the audience.”

Stone, just like Nolan, has earned an Oscar nod for the 95th Academy Awards (which will air on March 12). Nolan is expected to take the statuette for his work directing Oppenheimer, while Stone is nominated in the Best Actress category for her work in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things.

Alongside Fielder, Stone, and Safdie, The Curse features Constance Shulman, Hikmah Warsame, Dahabo Ahmed, Christopher Calderón, Barkhad Abdi, Gary Farmer, and Nizhonniya Luxi Austin. It was written by Fielder, Safdie, and Carrie Kemper (The Office).

All ten episodes of The Curse are available to stream on Paramount+ with Showtime.

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