Casey Affleck on Nolan, Oscar Win, ‘Company’

Don’t bother calling Christopher Nolan to ask about his films – Casey Affleck already has, and “it was probably a mistake,” he told the audience during an onstage interview at the Zurich Film Festival on Monday.

“I was driving back from school with my son. We were talking about ‘Tenet’ and disagreeing. I said: ‘Let’s settle that,’” said Affleck. He worked with Nolan on “Oppenheimer” and “Interstellar.”

“We got him on the phone and asked him something that we could have easily looked up on Reddit. Once he said it, it sounded so obvious I felt embarrassed. That was it. I haven’t called him again, and he hasn’t called me.”

“Maybe he will call now and ask me about my movie [‘Company’]: ‘What were you thinking’?!”

Working with Nolan was special, he said. “It was an honor, really. Everyone feels that way. When you are on his set, it’s different from other movies. He’s inclusive, and gives minimal but brilliant directions. He elevates everyone around him.”

Affleck has now directed three films and appreciates Nolan’s approach to work.

“I don’t have a careerist orientation to my thinking, which is not a humble brag. I just wouldn’t know where to start. Nolan is a great example of that. He makes these gigantic, hugely popular, successful movies, but I don’t think he makes things just to please other people. I don’t want to put words in his mouth, but he makes things that interest him.”

“If I can do that, I’d be lucky,” he added.

His brother, Ben Affleck, is another example of “someone who has been very smart about the movies he chooses.”

“Ben’s smart about making his films successful, but he’s not pandering. I know it because I’m there when he says: ‘I have an idea, but I’m not sure if I’m going to like it.’ It’s not: ‘I have an idea, but I am not sure I’ll be able to sell it.’”

It wasn’t the only time Affleck discussed his loved ones during the discussion. His recent anthology, “Company,” stars his mother, partner and sons.

“Neither one of them really wanted to be in it,” he laughed. “Then my son Atticus said: ‘It’s during my spring break, so if you want me to do it, I’ll do it.’ Like he was doing me a favor. Strangely, he took all my directions without arguing, which is not the nature of our relationship.”

Sadly, Affleck’s parents didn’t get to see the film before they passed away. He still dedicated it to them, though.

“I would rather just work with the people I love. I highly recommend it. For many years, I would leave them, shoot the film and miss them. Now, I plan on including my friends and my family as much as possible.”

“Company” also stars Nick Nolte, Ben Mendelsohn, Adelaide Clemens and Scoot McNairy.

“As far as I can tell, Nick is 130 years old. Not because he’s old, but because I don’t remember a time when he wasn’t in movies. He’s still completely committed. We have so many actors in their 20s, 30s and 40s. It’s really nice to see someone portray, so vulnerably, someone at the top end of life.”

Despite its world premiere in Venice, “Company” isn’t finished just yet.

“I thought: Maybe a film festival can be a place where people share their work with the community, get feedback and then finish it? As a director, it’s scary to bring a movie I’m still working on, but there are things I want to change.”

Despite his successes as an actor, Affleck has always been seen as “the outsider.” He was labeled this way in a 2016 Variety cover story as well.

“I remember that. It made me mad,” he said.

“I thought: I will forever be thought of as an outsider, no matter what I do. The public thinks of people one way, and it takes a lot to change that perception. And then I went: Am I crazy? I love that. I don’t want to be ‘an insider’ in Hollywood. It’s not a great culture. I don’t love the films made there or the system.”

He won an Academy Award for Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea,” but Oscars night itself was a scary experience.

“I was expecting Denzel Washington to win [for ‘Fences’]. It was a terrifying moment to have to stand on that stage. I can’t remember anything I said. But I do remember that I didn’t thank all the people you are supposed to thank. I didn’t thank Kenneth, didn’t thank my kids who encouraged me to make the movie and supported me the whole time. It was mildly traumatic,” he recalled.

“I remember walking off the stage and seeing Leonardo DiCaprio standing in the wings. I was still stuck in a moment of terror and disorientation, and he was just laughing and gave me a big hug. Then I felt better.”

He said: “There’s an illusion of choosing the path you want to be on. The path is choosing you.”

“You have to find your way and make all these mistakes. Make bad movies, take chances and give bad performances, not get the jobs that you wanted and watch other people get jobs that you wanted. The thing about being an actor is that you can take all your hard feelings with you and make something with it. It’s the best part of the job.”