Christopher Nolan is one of the most acclaimed and influential filmmakers of our time, but he is also notoriously private and shy. However, his latest film, Oppenheimer, has brought him unprecedented attention and recognition, both from critics and audiences. The biopic of the father of the atomic bomb has become the highest-grossing biopic of all time, and is widely considered to be the frontrunner for the best director Oscar, which Nolan has never won before.

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But according to Robert Downey Jr., who plays Oppenheimer’s colleague and friend Robert Serber in the film, this success has also been a ‘terrible tragedy’ for Nolan, who is not used to being in the spotlight. Downey Jr. made this humorous remark while presenting Nolan with the inaugural Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award at the Sundance Film Festival’s opening night gala in Park City, Utah, on Thursday.

“Confidentially, he needs his spirits lifted,” Downey Jr. said of Nolan, joking that the director has become “recognizable on the street” and “recoils as though from a hot flame from this new and most unwelcome reality.” Downey Jr. also teased Nolan for being an introvert, saying that they have become “extremely close” after having dinner together once on location.

Nolan, who received a standing ovation from the audience, thanked Downey Jr. for his friendship and support, and also credited his wife and producer Emma Thomas for producing “all of my films and all of my children.” He also expressed his gratitude to the Sundance Film Festival, which helped launch his career 23 years ago with his breakthrough film Memento, which screened at the festival in 2001.

what Christopher Nolan said

“The experiences you have here as a filmmaker are unique,” Nolan said of Sundance. “You carry them with you throughout your career, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the experience that I had here 23 years ago and for getting this award tonight.”

Nolan is not the only honoree at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Kristen Stewart, who stars in two films at the fest, Love Me and Love Lies Bleeding, received the Visionary Award, presented by her Adventureland co-star Jesse Eisenberg. Other recipients of the Vanguard Awards were Past Lives writer-director Celine Song, Eternal Memory director Maite Alberdi, and former Sundance Institute board chair Pat Mitchell.

The Sundance Film Festival runs from Jan. 18 to Jan. 30, showcasing some of the most exciting and innovative independent films of the year. Oppenheimer, which has already won several critics’ awards and Golden Globe nominations, is expected to dominate the upcoming Oscars, which will be held on Feb. 27.