David Bowie as Tesla The Prestige
Nolan needed someone whose real-world mystique could make science fiction plausible
Nikola Tesla functions in The Prestige less as a character than as a mythic figure -- the inventor whose real experiments were strange enough to make fictional ones credible. Tesla's Colorado Springs laboratory, where he conducted actual high-voltage experiments in 1899, provided the historical foundation for the duplication machine. Nolan recognized that the role required an actor whose personal aura could carry the same weight as the historical figure's legend.
"He is said to have been the origin of the myth of the mad scientist. We felt to play that part we needed somebody of extraordinary charisma and just a strange aura about them." — Christopher Nolan, Entertainment Tonight (2016)
"At some point it occurred to me that Tesla was the original Man Who Fell To Earth. As someone who was the biggest Bowie fan in the world, once I made that connection, he seemed to be the only actor capable of playing the part." — Christopher Nolan, Louder (2016)
Bowie refused, and Nolan had no backup plan
Bowie's agent rejected the offer immediately. Nolan had considered no alternative -- if Bowie said no, the role had no second choice. He flew to New York and made his case in person.
"I petitioned to let me explain why he was the right actor for it. In total honesty, I told him if he didn't agree to do the part, I had no idea where I would go from there. I would say I begged him." — Christopher Nolan, Louder (2016)
Bowie accepted. The shooting lasted four or five days.
Bowie's on-set presence affected the crew like no other actor Nolan had directed
Nolan described Bowie's charisma as qualitatively different from anything he had experienced with conventional movie stars. The effect was visible in the crew's behavior.
"He had a level of charisma beyond what you normally experience, and everyone really responded to it. I've never seen a crew respond to any movie star that way, no matter how big." — Christopher Nolan, Louder (2016)
"He was very gracious and understood the effect he had on people. Everyone has fond memories of getting to spend time with him or speak to him for a little bit." — Christopher Nolan, Louder (2016)
"I only worked with him briefly -- four or five days -- but I did manage to sneak a couple moments to chat with him, which are very treasured memories of mine." — Christopher Nolan, Louder (2016)
Tesla delivers the film's most resonant line and its clearest warning
Tesla appears in only a handful of scenes, but he carries two of the film's most important functions. His line about human potential -- "Man's grasp exceeds his nerve" -- inverts Browning's famous formulation and articulates the film's thesis about obsession. His warning to Angier to destroy the machine -- "I beg you to take what I have built and destroy it" -- goes unheeded and sets the catastrophe in motion.
Andy Serkis plays Tesla's assistant Alley as a gatekeeper who screens Angier before granting access. Serkis described Alley as "once a corporation man" drawn to Tesla's maverick nature. (wikipedia)
This was Bowie's final major film role
David Bowie died on January 10, 2016, nine years after the film's release. The Prestige stands as his last significant screen performance. Christopher Priest, the novel's author, criticized Bowie's portrayal as "merely adequate," but the casting has been widely praised in retrospect as one of Nolan's most inspired decisions. (christopher-priest.co.uk, wikipedia)