One Memento Actor Admitted Feeling Like The Weak Link In Christopher Nolan's Movie

"Memento" was the movie that put Christopher Nolan on the map. It's a psychological thriller told in reverse from the perspective of a guy with short-term memory loss. The film basically asks, "What if Dory from 'Finding Nemo' had a gun?" and follows that question through to its riveting conclusion. (Yes, "Memento" came out before "Finding Nemo," but you get my drift.) The movie was a financial and critical success, praised for its intricate plot and thought-provoking conclusion. Sure, keeping track of everything that happens in "Memento" might make some viewers' heads hurt, but what else are Nolan films for?

Guy Pearce, who stars in "Memento" as its protagonist, Leonard Shelby, is happy to praise the film along with everyone else. His only issue with the movie? Himself. As he explained to Countdown City Geeks, he thinks that his performance is the film's only flaw:

"I wish I liked my performance more in that film, I have to say. And I'm not just saying that to be, you know, self-deprecating. I saw it recently and went, 'Oh, I wish I was better in that film.' The film's really good. And I don't want to be the weak link that brings that film down. So, that's my only slightly negative feeling about that movie. But at least it's about me and not about anyone else."

Despite that, Pearce clarified, "Chris Nolan came along and reinvented the wheel, you know. So, to be part of that was a great honor." 

It's surprising to hear that Pearce doesn't like his "Memento" performance. Reviewing the movie upon its release for Reelviews, critic James Berardinelli wrote, "Lead actor Guy Pearce gives an astounding performance as a man struggling to avoid being manipulated in a world where he can easily become anyone's pawn." Similarly, Chris Nashawaty wrote in his Entertainment Weekly review, "'Memento' is one of those jigsaw puzzles whose pieces snap together more tightly with each viewing. Fueling it all is a performance by Guy Pearce that's as indelible as the tattoo ink covering his body."

You might think that Pearce's disappointment in his "Memento" performance is the reason he's never worked with Nolan again, contrary to the director's clear pattern of bringing actors back for multiple projects. But it turns out the actual reason Pearce and Nolan have never reunited is even stranger. When Vanity Fair asked if he'd been in touch with Nolan over the years in 2024, Pearce dropped this baffling bit of information:

"Not really, but he spoke to me about roles a few times over the years. ['Batman Begins'] and 'The Prestige'. But there was an executive at Warner Bros. who quite openly said to my agent, 'I don't get Guy Pearce. I'm never going to get Guy Pearce. I'm never going to employ Guy Pearce.' So, in a way, that's good to know. I mean, fair enough; there are some actors I don't get. [...] I think he just didn't believe in me as an actor."

The good news for Pearce/Nolan fans is that Nolan has stopped working with Warner Bros. and is now collaborating with Universal Pictures. So, assuming nobody at the studio has a bizarre grudge against Pearce, there's hope that he and Nolan may yet re-team for another project down the line.