Christopher Nolan’s movies usually boast a stacked star cast, with even supporting characters being played by A-listers. The upcoming The Odyssey not only has Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, and more in lead roles, but also has Jon Bernthal, Charlize Theron, John Leguizamo, and more in secondary roles.

The filmmaker has an eye for budding talents as well, as he has chosen actors who would go on to become A-listers for short roles in his movies. Timothée Chalamet played a young Tom Cooper, later played by Casey Affleck, in Interstellar, and Cillian Murphy had a recurring role as Jonathan Crane in The Dark Knight trilogy before he became the star he is today.

Here are ten actors who had small roles in Christopher Nolan’s movies:

1. Harry Styles – Dunkirk

Harry Styles in Dunkirk | Credits: Warner Bros.

Harry Styles is best known as the singer of One Direction, but after he went solo, he also explored an acting career. His controversial performance in Don’t Worry Darling is quite famous, and his cameo in Eternals got a lot of fans excited, but the pop star made his acting debut in Christopher Nolan’s war movie Dunkirk.

Named Alex, Styles plays one of the soldiers on the Mole, who, along with Fionn Whitehead’s character, survives the German invasion of Dunkirk and escapes back home. Funnily enough, Nolan revealed that he was not aware who Styles was while casting him, and though his daughters had spoken about the pop star, he only chose him for his talent (via THR).

2. Barry Keoghan – Dunkirk

Barry Keoghan in Dunkirk | Credits: Warner Bros.

Barry Keoghan is one of the most exciting actors working in Hollywood right now. He hit it big with films like The Banshees of Inisherin, which got him an Oscar nomination, and 2023’s Saltburn, which expanded his range as an actor. While he began acting in 2011, the actor had his breakthrough in 2017’s Dunkirk, which was directed by Nolan.

Keoghan played George Mills, one of the civilians on the boat captained by Mark Rylance, who becomes a victim of the Shivering Soldier’s wrath. While Keoghan does not have much to do in the film, his sacrifice makes him a hero at the end, and he made a lasting impression.

3. Joey King – The Dark Knight Rises

Joey King in The Dark Knight Rises | Credits: Warner Bros.

Joey King has gone big after her role in Netflix’s The Kissing Booth movies and her performance in the Hulu true crime series The Act, which got her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. While King began her acting journey as a child, she had a small but memorable role in the final installment of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy.

King played a young Talia al Ghul in flashback sequences in the prison, while Marion Cotillard played the older version of the character. King’s character is the first person to climb out of the prison, and she later saves Bane from the other prisoners.

4. Glen Powell – The Dark Knight Rises

Glen Powell in The Dark Knight Rises | Credits: Warner Bros.

Glen Powell is one of the biggest actors working in Hollywood right now. The actor got his breakthrough with Top Gun: Maverick, where he played Hangman, but he had years of experience before it. He made a pre-fame cameo in The Dark Knight Rises, playing a stockbroker whose head is bashed in by Bane during the stock market heist.

5. Juno Temple – The Dark Knight Rises

Juno Temple in The Dark Knight Rises | Credits: Warner Bros.

Juno Temple had a great resume of parts in huge blockbusters before she got her breakthrough with Apple TV+’s sports comedy Ted Lasso. She played the smooth-talking and hardworking Keeley Jones in the series and gained Primetime Emmy and SAG nominations for the same. She also got nominated for her role in Fargo.

Related: Christopher Nolan’s Signature Trope Strikes Again in ‘The Odyssey’ and It’s Easier Than Ever

Temple played Jen, a constant friend and partner of Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle. The role was reportedly based on the DC character Holly Robinson, who is also adept at stealing like Kyle. While Temple had a short role in The Dark Knight Rises, her character is quite popular among comic fans.

6. Andy Serkis – The Prestige

Andy Serkis in The Prestige | Credits: Warner Bros.

Andy Serkis is known as the king of motion-capture due to his work as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. While Christopher Nolan has made many blockbusters with plenty of effects, he cast Serkis to be his human self, as Mr. Alley in The Prestige. Mr. Alley is an assistant to David Bowie’s Nikola Tesla and brings Hugh Jackman’s Angier to Tesla.

7. Fiona Dourif – Tenet

Fiona Dourif in Tenet | Credits: Warner Bros.

Fiona Dourif recently starred in The Pitt, but she is best known for her role in the Chucky series, where he starred with her father, Brad Dourif. She is also known for playing Bart in Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, which is one of her most diabolical roles (despite Chucky). Dourif played Lt. Wheeler in Tenet, entering at the halfway point along with Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Ives. She leads the Blue team in the final temporal pincer movement.

8. Louise Lombard – Oppenheimer

Louise Lombard in Oppenheimer | Credits: Universal Pictures

Louise Lombard is known for her role in The House of Elliott and for playing Trish in the After movie franchise. Lombard played Ruth Tolman in Oppenheimer, where her character has an affair with Robert J. Oppenheimer. While it is a short role, it is an important one as Oppenheimer meets Emily Blunt’s Kitty in one of the parties hosted by Tolman.

9. David Oyelowo – Interstellar

David Oyelowo in Interstellar | Credits: Warner Bros./Paramount Pictures

David Oyelowo has been in a number of high-profile projects since his breakthrough as Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. He has appeared in movies like The Butler, Queen of Katwe, and more.

Oyelowo played the teacher of Timothée Chalamet’s Tom Cooper in Interstellar. It is a short role and lasts only one scene, but his character establishes what the future in the movie looks like.

10. Jack Quaid – Oppenheimer

Jack Quaid hit it big as Hughie in The Boys, and his performance has made him a pretty good star. Among other stalwarts and known faces, Quaid played a popular physicist in Nolan’s Oscar-winning Oppenheimer.

Quaid played Richard Feynman in the epic film, and while he had limited screentime, he was still part of a cast that had Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, and Emily Blunt.

Actor NameChristopher Nolan Movie AppearanceMost Popular WorkHarry StylesDunkirkOne DirectionBarry KeoghanDunkirkSaltburnJoey KingThe Dark Knight RisesKissing BoothGlen PowellThe Dark Knight RisesTop Gun: MaverickJuno TempleThe Dark Knight RisesTed LassoAndy SerkisThe PrestigeThe Lord of the Rings trilogyFiona DourifTenetDirk Gently’s Holistic Detective AgencyLouise LombardOppenheimerAfter film seriesDavid OyelowoInterstellarSelma, NightingaleJack QuaidOppenheimerThe Boys

Did we miss anyone on the list? Comment below who you think had their breakthrough in a Christopher Nolan movie.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire