AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Each week, a guest draws a card from NPR's Wild Card deck and answers a big question about their life. Tim Blake Nelson is known for his roles in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Watchmen." But Nelson's storytelling is not limited to acting. Lately, he's turned to writing novels. His newest book is called "Superhero," and it follows an actor taking on a Marvel-like role. Nelson was interested in the cultural divide over these blockbuster movies.
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TIM BLAKE NELSON: One of the big questions that has arisen, and - you know, people like Martin Scorsese and many other great filmmakers in the industry who said, look, these movies aren't art. I don't agree with that. I think that Marvel movies are incredibly artistic and can be incredibly daring. But I'm interested in the argument.
CHANG: On Wild Card, Nelson talked with host Rachel Martin about the risks of juggling so many creative projects.
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RACHEL MARTIN: Are you preoccupied with the past, the future or neither?
NELSON: I think probably I'm more preoccupied with the present. And that's a battle because I think it's a dangerous game.
MARTIN: And there is a preoccupation culturally right now to just be in the present all the time.
NELSON: And I'm guilty of that.
MARTIN: Yeah.
NELSON: I'm absolutely guilty of that. And I use it to my advantage. But ultimately, it's going to be to my disadvantage because I stick my head in my work, which, in a way, is sticking my head in the sand. And I hide from the future by devouring the moment. And by doing so, I'm going to run out of time without knowing it. It's sort of that phenomenon that my wife and I rehearse constantly in our discussions of our lives since our children have gone. There's all this stuff that we said we wanted to do, like live in another country. And we're not doing it...
MARTIN: (Laughter).
NELSON: ...Because you're writing your novel.
MARTIN: Yeah.
NELSON: Or you're doing the next acting job.
MARTIN: Yeah.
NELSON: And so I guess that's kind of what I'm talking about...
MARTIN: Yeah.
NELSON: ...In a very specific way.
MARTIN: Right.
NELSON: But it's bigger than that.
MARTIN: Yeah.
NELSON: Because I do get caught up in how extraordinary I think what's right in front of me is and how it is going to demand all of my attention. But then when that's done, I'll have time.
MARTIN: Yeah. Yeah.
NELSON: But then when it's done, there's always something else. And that's a kind of prohibitive existence in the present that becomes dangerous.
MARTIN: I get it.
NELSON: And I need to get better at that.
CHANG: You can watch the full conversation with Tim Blake Nelson on YouTube @NPRWildCard. His novel, "Superhero," is out now. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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