Christopher Nolan Reveals the Surprising 2006 Comedy He Calls One of His Favorites: 'Comedy Is the Hardest Thing'

Christopher Nolan has become one of Hollywood’s biggest and most well-respected filmmakers with hits likeThe Odyssey, Tenet, Interstellar, and Oppenheimer. Amid his rich cinematic career, he reveals the Will Ferrellcomedy that he tags as a favorite.

Fans would expect Nolan to name a classic film that has inspired generations as one of his top contenders. While appearing as a guest onThe View alongsideAnne Hathaway and Matt Damon, Sara Haines couldn’t believe that Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a must-watch for the director.

“Very much. If you ain’t first, you’re last,” said the director while quoting a famous line from the hit film.

Haines went on to add that knowing the 2006 comedy film is a favorite makes her love him more and that he’s able to appreciate “cinematic excellence as well.” While having created Oscar-winning films with serious and rich storylines, Nolan admits that creating a comedy is much harder.

“I think comedy is the hardest thing,” he explained. “I can’t imagine what these comedy directors do and everyone who works in that field. There’s no hiding from that. You know you put it out, and if the audience laughs, they laugh, and if they don’t, they don’t. I have so much respect for them.”

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby was directed by Adam McKay and starred Ferrell alongside John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Jane Lynch, and Amy Adams. Ferrell played the role of Rick Bobby, an immature yet successful NASCAR racer at the top of his career. When he loses his fame and title to another racer, he tries to pull himself out of despair to restore his racing honor.

Once learning that the cult classic comedy is a Nolan favorite, many fans in the comments couldn’t help but quote some of the movie’s most popular lines. Other fans believe that the director now couldn’t be more perfect.

During the interview, it was also revealed that both Hathaway and Nolan are fans of the 2010 comedy MacGruber starring Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, and Ryan Phillippe. One fan even commented a true story about Nolan and the film.

“True story. When he found out Nolan loved the movie, Jorma Taccone pitched MacGruber 2 to end with ‘Directed by Christopher Nolan, ‘ and then after the credits it would have his name, and Nolan politely declined but wrote a letter saying how much he loved the first film,” he commented.

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