Christopher Nolan Reveals Why He Bans Uggs on His Movie Sets

‘The Odyssey’ Director Christopher Nolan Reveals "Absurd" Reason He Banned Uggs on SetChristopher Nolan is counting sheep on his movie sets—that is, fuzzy sheepskin boots. The Interstellar director confessed one of his unorthodox tenets of filmmaking: He doesn't allow his actors to wear Ugg boots in between takes of his award-winning films, for a very specific reason. "I want to stay in the moment. I want the actors to stay in the moment," Nolan told Gayle King during a July 20 appearance on CBS Mornings. "For me, the Ugg boots are a signifier of modernity, absurd though that is." The 55-year-old likened the fluff-free protocol—which applied to stars like Anne Hathaway while working on his most recent period piece, The Odyssey—to snacking on junk food between cuts. "It's like if someone's eating a bag of chips off camera," Nolan explained. "There's certain things that just remind you're in the real world, as opposed to the world we're trying to create for the actors." Though he doesn't consider Uggs helpful to the creative process, he made it clear he doesn't have a personal problem with the Aussie favorites."Sometimes actors will turn up—because the footwear hurts—they'll turn up in these big fluffy, comfy slippers," Nolan explained. “The funny thing is, you can be on set with a guy holding a microphone, you've got a giant camera, you've got crew everywhere. But something like that can actually weirdly take you out of reality." And the Matt Damon epic isn't the first time Nolan's no-no for the suede slip-ons has turned heads. As he noted during the interview, the shoe situation became an inside joke with Hathaway when working on The Dark Knight Rises as well as with Oppenheimer actress Emily Blunt. "I did show up one day with Uggs, and he looked down and went 'Nope,'" Hathaway laughed during a July 13 interview with USA Today. "I just went 'No problem!' And they never came back." Photo by Aalok Soni/Getty Images for Universal PicturesJoining Hathaway for the sit-down to promote the Greek tragedy's press tour, Damon added, "He hates Uggs more than anything." Blunt, for her part, experienced a similar interaction when filming with Nolan in 2022. In fact, the actress compared the director's fashion-forward demand to her fictional boss Miranda Priestly. "He has such an issue with Ugg boots. It's a serious problem," Blunt joked on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 2024. "I walked in wearing them one day, and it was like The Devil Wears Prada. He literally just stared at them. I was like, 'Chris, come on.' He goes, 'Take those off.'" Already seen Nolan's latest movie in the theater? Here are more movies to be excited about in 2026.Disney/PixarToy Story 5 - June 19, 2026Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the gang return as the toys take on tech in the form of a frog-shaped smart tablet voiced by Greta Lee. 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Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.A24The Invite - July 10, 2026When a couple invites their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places. Starring Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE. Universal StudiosThe Odyssey - July 17, 2026A seriously all-star cast assembles for director Christopher Nolan's epic take on the ancient Greek poem. Starring Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway and many more. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Courtesy of Sony PicturesSpider-Man: Brand New Day - July 31, 2026This new chapter of the superhero franchise finds Peter Parker (Tom Holland) living and crime-fighting alone in New York, having erased himself from the lives and memories of those he loves. Zendaya returns as MJ and Sadie Sink joins the cast. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Nicole Rivelli / Universal PicturesOne Night Only - August 7, 2026Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro co-headline as two strangers searching for love in New York City. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Warner Bros. PicturesThe End of Oak Street - August 14, 2026After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together. Starring Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Paramount PIcturesPAW Patrol: The Dino Movie - August 14, 2026After their ship gets caught in a mysterious storm, the PAW Patrol pups crash land on an uncharted tropical island filled with dinosaurs and are thrown into a series of high-stakes, dino-sized rescues. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Warner Bros. PicturesPractical Magic 2 - September 11, 2026The witchy Owens sisters return in this sequel to the 1998 classic. Starring Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Lee Pace, Joey King, and Maisie Williams. Where to Watch: In theatersPhilippe Bossé/ PrimeThe Love Hypothesis - September 23, 2026Based on the New York Times best-seller, The Love Hypothesis follows Olive (Lili Reinhart), a Ph.D. candidate who impulsively kisses her department's most intimidating professor, Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman). Their mutual need for a fake relationship turns into an experiment in chemistry that might actually solve for love. Where to Watch: Streaming on Prime VideoAmazon MGM StudiosVerity - October 2, 2026Adapted from Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel, this psychological thriller follows renowned author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) and Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), a struggling writer who relocates to the remote Crawford estate to ghostwrite for Verity. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Columbia Pictures/Sony PicturesThe Social Reckoning - October 9, 2026A companion piece to 2010's The Social Network, writer/director Aaron Sorkin's new film is inspired by the true story of a young Facebook engineer (Mikey Madison) who enlists the help of a Wall Street Journal reporter (Jeremy Allen White) to go on a dangerous journey that ends up blowing the whistle on Mark Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) and the social network’s most guarded secrets. Where to watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Focus FeaturesSense and Sensibility - October 16, 2026Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Elinor Dashwood in this latest adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved novel. Also starring Fiona Shaw, Caitríona Balfe, George MacKay, and Esmé Creed-Miles. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Warner Bros. PicturesThe Cat in the Hat - November 6, 2026Based on the beloved Dr. Seuss book, this animated adaptation will feature the voices of Bill Hader, Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang, and America Ferrera. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Murray Close/LionsgateThe Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping - November 20, 2026This highly anticipated prequel revisits the world of Panem and follows young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games. Also starring Glenn Close, Whitney Peak, Elle Fanning, Ralph Fiennes, Mckenna Grace and Maya Hawke. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Universal PicturesFocker-In-Law - November 25, 2026Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro reunite alongside Ariana Grande for this new chapter in the Meet the Parents franchise. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.DisneyHexed - November 25, 2026This animated coming-of-age saga follows an impulsive teenage girl named Billie (Hailee Steinfeld) who discovers secret magical abilities which hurtle her into a spectacular journey out of suburbia and into a vast witch realm called Hexe. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Marvel StudiosAvengers: Doomsday - December 18, 2026An insanely star-studded cast of MCU fan-favorites return to our screens in this fifth installment of the Avengers film series. Where to Watch: In theaters Buy a ticket HERE.Warner Bros. PicturesDune: Part Three - December 18, 2026Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet return to deliver the epic conclusion to director Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy. Also starring Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson, and Javier Bardem. Where to Watch: In theaters and IMAX Buy a ticket HERE.Columbia Pictures/Sony PicturesJumanji: Open World - December 25, 2026The core cast (Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Jack Black and Kevin Hart) returns for this final installment of the reboot trilogy about a magical board game. Where to Watch: In theatersFor the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App