Christopher Nolan Says a Peloton Instructor Complained About His Movie While He Was in the Class

Christopher Nolan.Photo: Emma McIntyre/GettyChristopher Nolancan’t evade movie reviews, even during a workout.TheOppenheimerdirector, 53, said during the New York Film Critics Circle Awards Gala on Wednesday that he was once in the middle of participating in a Peloton class when the instructor criticized one of his films.“I was on my Peloton. I’m dying. And the instructor started talking about one of my films and said, ‘Did anyone see this? That’s a couple hours of my life I’ll never get back again!' " Nolan said while accepting the best director award, according toVariety.“When [film critic] Rex Reed takes a s— on your film he doesn’t ask you to work out,” joked Nolan. “In today’s world, where opinions are everywhere, there is a sort of idea that film criticism is being democratized, but I for one think the critical appreciation of films shouldn’t be an instinct but it should be a profession.“Though Nolan did not say which movie was panned or who the instructor was, fans on social media resurfaced a clip of cyclist instructor Jenn Sherman, circa December 2020, talking aboutNolan’s movie from that year,Tenet, starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson.Christopher Nolan.Laurent VU/SIPA/Shutterstock"This song is from a movie calledTenet. Did anybody see this s—? Did anybody see this besides me? Because I need a manual,” Sherman said in the clip. “Someone’s gotta explain this. I’m not kidding.““What the f— was going on in that movie — do you understand?” she continued. “Seriously, you need to be a neuroscientist to understand. And that’s two and a half hours of my life that I want back. I want it back.“Reps for Sherman and Peloton did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Oscar-nominated writer/director Nolan is known for movies likeThe Dark Knight,Inception,Dunkirkand, his latest,Oppenheimer. Elsewhere in his Wednesday speech, perVariety, he said filmmakers “have a complex emotional relationship with critics and criticism.““A question we’re always asked is: Do we read reviews? Let’s start with the fact that I’m British,” he said. “A typical family gathering will involve relatives saying to me, ‘You know, Christopher, you probably shouldn’t openThe Guardiantoday.' “In July, Nolan toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat hedoesn’t use a smartphone or email. He said he writes scripts on a computer that doesn’t have an internet connection. “My kids would probably say I’m a complete Luddite,” said Nolan. Though, he noted he “would actually resist that description.“While he thinks “technology and what it can provide is amazing,” he added, “My personal choice is about how involved I get. It’s about the level of distraction. If I’m generating my material and writing my own scripts, being on a smartphone all day wouldn’t be very useful for me.”

Christopher Nolan.Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty

Christopher Nolancan’t evade movie reviews, even during a workout.TheOppenheimerdirector, 53, said during the New York Film Critics Circle Awards Gala on Wednesday that he was once in the middle of participating in a Peloton class when the instructor criticized one of his films.“I was on my Peloton. I’m dying. And the instructor started talking about one of my films and said, ‘Did anyone see this? That’s a couple hours of my life I’ll never get back again!' " Nolan said while accepting the best director award, according toVariety.“When [film critic] Rex Reed takes a s— on your film he doesn’t ask you to work out,” joked Nolan. “In today’s world, where opinions are everywhere, there is a sort of idea that film criticism is being democratized, but I for one think the critical appreciation of films shouldn’t be an instinct but it should be a profession.“Though Nolan did not say which movie was panned or who the instructor was, fans on social media resurfaced a clip of cyclist instructor Jenn Sherman, circa December 2020, talking aboutNolan’s movie from that year,Tenet, starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson.Christopher Nolan.Laurent VU/SIPA/Shutterstock"This song is from a movie calledTenet. Did anybody see this s—? Did anybody see this besides me? Because I need a manual,” Sherman said in the clip. “Someone’s gotta explain this. I’m not kidding.““What the f— was going on in that movie — do you understand?” she continued. “Seriously, you need to be a neuroscientist to understand. And that’s two and a half hours of my life that I want back. I want it back.“Reps for Sherman and Peloton did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Oscar-nominated writer/director Nolan is known for movies likeThe Dark Knight,Inception,Dunkirkand, his latest,Oppenheimer. Elsewhere in his Wednesday speech, perVariety, he said filmmakers “have a complex emotional relationship with critics and criticism.““A question we’re always asked is: Do we read reviews? Let’s start with the fact that I’m British,” he said. “A typical family gathering will involve relatives saying to me, ‘You know, Christopher, you probably shouldn’t openThe Guardiantoday.' “In July, Nolan toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat hedoesn’t use a smartphone or email. He said he writes scripts on a computer that doesn’t have an internet connection. “My kids would probably say I’m a complete Luddite,” said Nolan. Though, he noted he “would actually resist that description.“While he thinks “technology and what it can provide is amazing,” he added, “My personal choice is about how involved I get. It’s about the level of distraction. If I’m generating my material and writing my own scripts, being on a smartphone all day wouldn’t be very useful for me.”

Christopher Nolancan’t evade movie reviews, even during a workout.

TheOppenheimerdirector, 53, said during the New York Film Critics Circle Awards Gala on Wednesday that he was once in the middle of participating in a Peloton class when the instructor criticized one of his films.

“I was on my Peloton. I’m dying. And the instructor started talking about one of my films and said, ‘Did anyone see this? That’s a couple hours of my life I’ll never get back again!' " Nolan said while accepting the best director award, according toVariety.

“When [film critic] Rex Reed takes a s— on your film he doesn’t ask you to work out,” joked Nolan. “In today’s world, where opinions are everywhere, there is a sort of idea that film criticism is being democratized, but I for one think the critical appreciation of films shouldn’t be an instinct but it should be a profession.”

Though Nolan did not say which movie was panned or who the instructor was, fans on social media resurfaced a clip of cyclist instructor Jenn Sherman, circa December 2020, talking aboutNolan’s movie from that year,Tenet, starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson.

Christopher Nolan.Laurent VU/SIPA/Shutterstock

Laurent VU/SIPA/Shutterstock

“This song is from a movie calledTenet. Did anybody see this s—? Did anybody see this besides me? Because I need a manual,” Sherman said in the clip. “Someone’s gotta explain this. I’m not kidding.”

“What the f— was going on in that movie — do you understand?” she continued. “Seriously, you need to be a neuroscientist to understand. And that’s two and a half hours of my life that I want back. I want it back.”

Reps for Sherman and Peloton did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Oscar-nominated writer/director Nolan is known for movies likeThe Dark Knight,Inception,Dunkirkand, his latest,Oppenheimer. Elsewhere in his Wednesday speech, perVariety, he said filmmakers “have a complex emotional relationship with critics and criticism.”

“A question we’re always asked is: Do we read reviews? Let’s start with the fact that I’m British,” he said. “A typical family gathering will involve relatives saying to me, ‘You know, Christopher, you probably shouldn’t openThe Guardiantoday.' "

In July, Nolan toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat hedoesn’t use a smartphone or email. He said he writes scripts on a computer that doesn’t have an internet connection. “My kids would probably say I’m a complete Luddite,” said Nolan. Though, he noted he “would actually resist that description.”

While he thinks “technology and what it can provide is amazing,” he added, “My personal choice is about how involved I get. It’s about the level of distraction. If I’m generating my material and writing my own scripts, being on a smartphone all day wouldn’t be very useful for me.”

source: people.com