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You know Guy Pearce. Whether its from his recent role in the acclaimed film The Brutalist, his star turn in 1997's LA Confidential, or his scene-chewing performance in 2005's The Proposition, or perhaps his time as an MCU villain in Iron Man 3. He's been a notable actor for 30 years now - enough to get his name on the poster of every project he's on - but there's one studio that won't have him. And they're one of the biggest studios around.

Recently while promoting The Brutalist, Vanity Fair's Jordan Hoffman asked Pearce about the possibility of him reuniting with Christopher Nolan given their amazing work together in 2000's Memento. That movie got Nolan on the fast-track to stardom and led to his Batman trilogy and numerous movies since, but never again have the two worked together, although they tried. And in trying, Pearce says his agent uncovered that an unnamed executive at Warner Bros. had discreetly blacklisted him from appearing in any of their movies.

Pearce makes it a point not to name the Warner Bros. executive his agent Chris Andrews told him said that, but it has stuck with him for decades.

According to Pearce, he was in discussions for a co-starring role in both 2005's Batman Begins and 2006's The Prestige, to the point Nolan flew him to the London set of his first Batman film to discuss him playing the lead antagonist Ra's al Ghul. The part ultimately went to Liam Neeson, and at the time Pearce said he was told he was too young for the role, now the actor says it was becaused of this unnamed executive.

"They flew me to London, to discuss the Liam Neeson role for Batman, and I think it was decided on my flight that I wasn’t going to be in the movie," Pearce says. 'So I get there and Chris is like “hey, you want to see the Batmobile and get dinner?'

In another interview, Pearce said Nolan told him about the Warner Bros. blacklisted, leading to his agent looking for an answer.

"...  there was an executive at Warner Bros. who quite openly said to my agent, 'I don’t get Guy Pearce. I’m never going to get Guy Pearce. I’m never going to employ Guy Pearce," says Pearce. "So, in a way, that’s good to know. I mean, fair enough; there are some actors I don’t get. But it meant I could never work with Chris."

Pearce said he and Jude Law were in talks for co-starring in The Prestige, but chalks up the unnamed Warner Bros. executive for the decision to go with Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman instead.

"And I'm glad we found that out because, for a while, it was weird that I could never get another job at Warner Bros.," Pearce told Business Insider's Jason Guerrasio. 

Pearce has worked on a film for Warner Bros. Pictures once - 1997's LA Confidential, and never again. The closest came when talks of a LA Confidential sequel was in the works, to the point original director Curtis Hanson got verbal commitments from Pearce, Russell Crowe, and LA Confidential writer James Ellroy. When Hanson fell ill and died in 2016, the project went fallow.

Pearce has been able to find work, but the closest he's come to working with Warner Bros. since then is appearing in HBO's Mildred Pierce and Mare of Easttown - that latter of which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for 'Best Supporting Actor.' In those cases, casting is run by a different group than Warner Bros. Pictures.

Guy Pearce currently co-stars in The Brutalist, which is in theaters now. His work there has earned him an Academy Award nomination for 'Best Supporting Actor.'

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