Christopher Nolan has said he would be “terrified” to make a romantic comedy, despite his reputation for handling ambitious, large-scale films across genres. Speaking on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he said comedy demands a different skill set because a joke either makes an audience laugh or it does not, leaving little room for interpretation.

Nolan said he enjoys watching romantic comedies and admires the people who make them, describing comedy as among the hardest forms of filmmaking. He contrasted this with his own work, where he feels he can dismiss a muted audience response as viewers not understanding a particular element; he believes comedy offers no such safety net.