Christopher Nolan Honors Heath Ledger During First Golden Globe Win

After being nominated for best director three previous times, Christopher Nolan finally won his first Golden Globe as director for Oppenheimer.

Nolan was up against Bradley Cooper for Maestro, Greta Gerwig for Barbie, Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things, Martin Scorsese for Killers for the Flower Moon and Celine Song for Past Lives. 

In his speech, Nolan singled out the late actor Heath Ledger, whom he met on The Dark Knight.

“The only time I’ve ever been on this stage before was accepting one of these on behalf of our dear friend, Heath Ledger, and that was complicated and challenging for me,” he said. “In the middle of speaking, I got all stuck, and Robert Downey Jr. caught my eye and gave me a look of love and support – the same look he’s giving me now.”

Ledger died of an accidental overdose before The Dark Knight was released. For his portrayal of the Joker, he won the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. 

Nolan thanked the Oppenheimer cast in his acceptance speech. 

“I thought it would be simpler accepting for myself. But, as a director, I realize I can only accept this on behalf of people. As directors, we bring people together and we try to get them to give their best,” he said. 

Along with best director, Oppenheimer ended up winning five awards, including best lead actor in a drama, which went to Cillian Murphy.

“I knew the first time I walked on a Christopher Nolan set that it was different,” Murphy, a frequent collaborator with Nolan said. “I could tell by the level of rigor, the level of focus, the level of dedication, the complete lack of any seating options for actors that I was in the hands of the visionary director and master.”

Oppenheimer, which chronicles the life of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, made $951 million at the box office and was the third highest-grossing movie of 2023. 

In 2020, Nolan made headlines for slamming Warner Bros. decision to release movies on its streaming service, Max.