Christopher Nolan reveals 'Interstellar' hidden story fans didn't know

Thirteen years later, Interstellar still hits. And apparently, so do the memories.

Christopher Nolan and Timothee Chalamet reunited Tuesday, February 10, for a special IMAX 70mm screening of the sci-fi epic at AMC Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles – and the conversation quickly turned nostalgic… and a little cheeky.

Chalamet, who played young Tom Cooper, admitted the film arrived at a pivotal moment in his life.

“My role was not enormous – I think I was number 12 on the call sheet,” he joked. “But it came at a time when nothing in my career was certain.”

Then came the big confession: it’s still his favourite project. Not just that – it’s the movie he’s watched more than any other film in existence. High praise, considering the director sitting next to him.

But the real highlight? A behind-the-scenes story from one of the film’s most emotional sequences – when Matthew McConaughey’s Cooper watches years of video messages from his children.

Nolan recalled Chalamet taking a darker approach in one of the recorded messages, particularly in a moment involving Murph and a car crash.

“It felt too much,” Nolan admitted. “I told you about it… and you just went ahead and did whatever the f–k you wanted.”

The crowd laughed.

Nolan wasn’t annoyed – just surprised. “I thought, okay, he knows what he wants to do.”

Chalamet, visibly amused, shot back: “I didn’t remember that. That’s amazing. I thought you didn’t even know my name, man.”

Nolan’s response? Classic. “I might not have known your name, but I knew what you were doing.”

He explained it wasn’t about stubbornness — it was about instinct. Chalamet had made deliberate choices and wasn’t ready to ditch them on the spot. Nolan respected that. Even if he planned to “find a logic to it in the edit suite.”