20 Things You Didn't Know About The Prestige

18. Christopher Nolan "Begged" David Bowie To Star

David Bowie Nikola Tesla The Prestige
Warner Bros. Pictures

Christopher Nolan is one of the most respected directors in Hollywood, and his projects are highly sought after by actors, composers, and other filmmaking talent.

Generally speaking, he can get whoever he wants, but back during the development of The Prestige - while still a proven name thanks to the likes of Memento and Batman Begins - he didn't have quite as much muscle as he does today, and as a result, the filmmaker had to beg David Bowie to come aboard and play Nikola Tesla.

After Bowie passed away in early 2016, Nolan shared a few thoughts about the famed actor and musician, revealing that he initially turned down the offer to appear in the film. Nolan then "begged" Bowie to accept his offer, believing that he was the only man on Earth who could play Tesla in this way.

Considering how fantastic Bowie is in the role, with his magical - pardon the pun - and mysterious presence, it's safe to say that Nolan's instincts were on the money.

In this post: 
The Prestige
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!