The Chinese woman behind a viral Christopher Nolan interview has tips on how to ask powerful people great questions
Yiyang Zhuge said she jotted down questions in her notebook a day before the interview, and had her cousin edit the video.
Christopher Nolan's interview with Chinese podcaster Yiyang Zhuge is causing a stir on the internet. This interview, held on a podcast hosted by Zhuge, has garnered millions of views due to its profound and intellectual questioning style. Known in Western media circles only recently, Zhuge's questions were a refreshing departure from typical celebrity interviews. The 17-minute conversation, released on July 31, 2026, has been viewed over 6.8 million times on X, while her Bilibili video has surpassed a million views.
Zhuge, a 17-year-old doctoral student from Boston College, was not a media professional or an expert in film. She had requested a 45-minute to an hour-long interview, but was only given 15 minutes. Despite the short notice, her questions were of high caliber. She asked Nolan about Christianizing Homer's "Odyssey" and whether gods were figments of human imagination or necessary lies. Nolan complimented her questions more than once.
Zhuge's preparation for the interview took less than a day, but her underlying preparation spanned about 15 years as she delved into ancient Greek studies and Homer's works. Her interview style was more akin to a scholarly discussion with a professor, focusing on intellectual choices that interested her. She didn't treat Nolan as an idol or a critic, but as a person who shared her intellectual curiosity.
Her interview has since become a trending topic on Weibo in China with hundreds of positive comments. However, she expressed relief at this unexpected virality, wishing to continue her life as a scholar, reading, writing, and teaching, rather than being in the spotlight.
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