Dunkirk Actor Says Christopher Nolan Banned Chairs and Water Bottles from Set

British newspaper The Independent asked Dunkirk star Mark Rylance whether director Christopher Nolan had any idiosyncrasies and it turns out that Nolan kind of hates both chairs and water bottles.

“He does things like he doesn’t like having chairs on set for actors or bottles of water, he’s very particular,” Rylance told the paper. The director of the masterpiece reportedly banned the seemingly essential items from his set in order to keep his actors focused on the task of bringing the World War II drama to life, according to Dunkirk co-star Barry Keoghan. He explained Nolan’s thinking: “They’re distractions —the noise of [the bottles], they’re like toys almost, playing around with toys. [The lack of chairs, meanwhile] keeps you on your toes, literally.”

The actors didn’t seem to mind Nolan’s chair-banning ways, though. Rylance seemed to shrugging it off as just part of the glamour of acting and the cost of working with a very driven director: “He’s definitely into the craft of it, and serious,” said Rylance.