Christopher Nolan fears smartphone addiction as he explains no-phone rule
The 'Interstellar' director says he still uses a flip phone and feels fortunate to avoid what he calls 'digital shackles'
Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan has opened up about the reason he continues to avoid smartphones, admitting he fears becoming "horribly addicted" if he ever starts using one.
The acclaimed director, whose latest film, The Odyssey, has been released, shared his thoughts during a recent interview with The Telegraph, explaining that staying away from smartphones helps him think creatively.
"I know I'd become horribly addicted to them if I had one, I'd spend all my time looking things up," Nolan said.
The filmmaker explained that some of his best ideas come during moments when many people instinctively reach for their phones, such as waiting for a train, sitting in an airport or waiting for someone at a restaurant.
"And I find I'm only able to advance my thinking on projects in those pockets of time where everybody usually jumps on their phone," he said. "Those are the moments I work out whatever it is I need to do next."
Despite his long-standing no-smartphone lifestyle, Nolan admitted he worries it may become increasingly difficult to maintain.
"I worry the world is eventually going to wear me down," he confessed.
The director pointed to the widespread return of QR codes since the Covid-19 pandemic as one of the biggest challenges for people without smartphones.
"The return of the QR code since Covid has been particularly tricky for me," he said.
Nolan previously discussed the issue during an appearance on the US news programme 60 Minutes, where he explained that QR codes have become nearly impossible to avoid.
"Now it's kind of everywhere, and if you don't have a smartphone, you can't do much with a QR code," he said.
Instead of a smartphone, Nolan continues to carry a flip phone, saying he is simply living the way people once did before smartphones became a daily necessity.
"I'm just living the same way that we all used to. To me, it's just life as normal," he said.
The Interstellar director added that many people tell him they envy his decision to stay away from smartphones, joking that he feels fortunate not to be wearing what he described as "digital shackles."