Watch: Christopher Nolan On The Colbert Report; Says ‘Interstellar’ Borrows Clips From Ken Burns’ ‘Dust Bowl’ Documentary

“Don’t do me down on the blowing shit up department,” Christopher Nolan says hilariously on "The Colbert Report." “I think you can have a film that makes people think and blow shit up.” It’s nice to see Nolan, who many think takes himself too seriously, having a good laugh, smiling it up, and thoroughly enjoying himself while being subjected to the host’s faux ignoramus routine.

And there’s an interesting little reveal in the interview too. The “Interstellar” director has spoken often of how Ken Burns’ 2012 documentary “The Dust Bowl” was a source of inspiration for the early moments of the film on Earth, when massive dust storms threaten the protagonists. But it turns out some of the interviews conducted at the beginning of the film—people looking back on the blights that effected Earth’s crops—are actual real footage from Burns’ doc. “Those are real people,” he said. “We drew it from Ken Burns’ documentary on the dust bowl which he very kindly let me use some excerpts from because even though it’s a science fiction film, I wanted the feeling of dread, the feeling of imbalance between the human race and the planet to be real and credible.”

The more you know. “Interstellar” is in theaters now. Nolan has been doing some awards-season rounds, so don’t count the film out yet. Watch "The Colbert Report" clip below, plus a clip from Burns’ doc.