The wisdom of Christopher Nolan and his incredible team was that, while it seemed like a good idea to give [the protestors] an opportunity for work, to give them money, it would send a terrible message. At the end of the day, we’re making a movie. What’s happening down there is more important than that. To co-opt what’s happening there and around the country… we didn’t want to trivialize it. It was more important to respect what they’re doing than to do anything that could potentially trivialize the political situation downtown.— Matthew Modine, who will appear as a villainous politician so far known only as Nixon in The Dark Knight Rises.
This is not just interesting because it’s an actual explanation about the sometimes very political stances that art can take, and the concerns that can arise when those stances are miscommunicated. It’s also interesting because it seems to indicate that the debunked rumor that The Dark Knight Rises was going to film in/around/with Occupy Wallstreet protesters during the New York City portion of their shoot was not complete fan speculation, as I had assumed, and actually based on a kernel of truth: Nolan and crew really were considering showing support for the movement by gainfully employing protesters.
