Important reason why Christopher Nolan only uses red and black scripts

Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy has explained why all of Christopher Nolan's scripts are printed on red paper.

Directors do a bunch of crazy things that can make it seem like they've lost the plot, but there's always method to their madness.

Christopher Nolan is no different, with actors who've worked with him revealing several curious habits.

First off, Nolan won't allow phones on his sets. Explaining the ban in a 2017 interview with Esquire, he said: "Phones have become a huge distraction, and people work much better without them. At first it causes difficulty, but it really allows them to concentrate on what they’re doing. Everybody understands."

More controversially, he also bans chairs. The 54-year-old views the luxury of sitting down as just that - a luxury, one that shouldn't be afforded at work.

Speaking about his rule to Variety in 2020, Anne Hathaway, who has worked with Nolan on Interstellar and The Dark Knight Rises, said: "[He] doesn’t allow chairs, and his reasoning is, if you have chairs, people will sit - and if they’re sitting, they’re not working."

Another thing Nolan doesn't like? Bathroom breaks.

Christopher Nolan smiles at Cillian Murphy at the 96th annual Academy Awards ceremony - where they both scooped Oscars for their part in Oppenheimer (Al Seib/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)

Robert Downey Jr told Vanity Fair: "He doesn't even really like it when you go to the bathroom, but he understands you have to.

"And I asked him, 'Dude, when do you go?' And he goes, '11am and 6pm' And I was like, 'Are you f**king with me?'"

Why Christopher Nolan only uses red and black scripts

Cillian Murphy explained Nolan only prints his scripts in black ink on red paper to prevent them from being photocopied - as for whatever reason red and black is hard to xerox.

Speaking on CBS's show 60 Minutes, the Irish actor who scooped his first Oscar this year for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his part in Oppenheimer, said: “[His scripts] are always printed on red paper with black ink, unhelpfully, I guess to prevent against photocopying.

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in the 2023 blockbuster 'Oppenheimer' (Universal Pictures)

“But I don’t know who photocopies in 2024.

“But anyway, he’s always had a tradition of printing on red paper with black ink… Then it has my name kind of watermarked on each page, so it’s my fault [if it leaks].”

Not wanting to send his script in the post in case it get stolen and leaked, he visited Murphy in Dublin, Ireland.

Murphy, who has worked with Nolan six times, explained a note on the front of his script read 'Dearest Cillian, finally a chance to see you lead', referencing the fact that Murphy had starred in five movies with Nolan previously but had never been a leading man.