Ranking Every Christopher Nolan Protagonist From Worst To Best

6. Cooper - Interstellar

Though the reception to Nolan's space-faring sci-fi was fairly divisive, it's hard to deny that he struck gold by casting Matthew McConaughey as ferociously determined NASA pilot-turned-farmer Cooper.

Say what you will about the direction in which the movie goes, but McConaughey's easy charm and palpable grit made his Cooper an incredibly easy-to-root-for protagonist, especially as Coop had to make the devastating sacrifice of leaving his family for an incredible period of time in order to try and save humanity.

Nolan realises this sacrifice in a uniquely heartbreaking way, as the nature of Coop's mission results in extreme time dilation, with his family back home aging significantly faster than he does. McConaughey makes us feel every bit of anguish along his odyssey, and sells the material about as well as anyone could.