10 Things You Didn't Know About Inception

You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling...

Inception Corridor

BRAAAAAMMMMM! BRAAAAAMMMMM!

Hear that? It's the sound of Inception, Christopher Nolan's mind-bending, puzzle box of a blockbuster from 2010 - a film that, six years ago, arrived in theatres to mass declarations of, "Oh, so this is the best sci-fi film of the last decade, is it? Okay!"

With its multi-dream layer narrative and crazy twists, Inception came post-Dark Knight and pre-The Dark Knight Rises, blowing minds the world over. People watched in awe, and then they went back and watched in awe all over again, struck by the visual effects, intriguing mythology and an ending that kept you guessing long after you'd left the theatre and started planning your new career as a "Dream Stealer."

Nowadays, Inception might not feel quite as innovative as it once did, but it's still a defining film of its era and one that has no doubt carved itself out a nice little space in the pantheon of modern sci-fi classics.

Think you've exposed yourself to every interesting tidbit associated with this film? Here are 10 lesser-known factoids that you probably didn't know...

10. Christopher Nolan Gave Cillian Murphy The Script & Told Him To Pick His Own Part

Inception Corridor
Warner Bros.

Here's a surprise: when Christopher Nolan was assembling his cast for Inception, he gave actor Cillian Murphy - who he'd worked with on Batman Begins and The Dark Knight - the script and told him to pick his part. Seriously... he told the actor to select his part based on who he personally felt he was "most right for."

Now, c'mon... imagine you're Cillian Murphy for a moment. You've got the pick of any number of amazing parts. Cobb, Eames.... heck, even Arthur. Instead of those, however, you go for Robert Michael Fischer, a guy who spends pretty much the entire movie being Inceptioned (i.e. he's unconscious).

You've got to hand it to Murphy, because given the opportunity, I doubt anybody would have opted for what is probably the least interesting character in the entire film. Heck, he didn't he select to be part of the main Inception team!

Now, that's integrity. He picked the part that was right for him, even when the part that was right for him was pretty average.

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Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.