Michael Shannon on Nuremberg: Embodying Justice and Resolve
“I didn’t know anything about him beforehand, so I basically started from scratch.”
—Michael Shannon on discovering Robert H. Jackson
In his latest film Nuremberg, Michael Shannon takes on the role of Robert H. Jackson, Supreme Court Justice, chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, and a historical figure whose accomplishments Shannon was surprised to learn aren’t widely known. What unfolded for Shannon was not just preparation for a role, but an exploration into moral courage, responsibility, and the pursuit of justice after one of history’s darkest chapters.
Shannon began his research with no prior knowledge of Jackson. Diving into online archives he was struck by how a man who never finished law school managed to rise to such prestige. Jackson, to Shannon, wasn’t a lofty intellectual, he was grounded, hardworking, and deeply curious about truth.
“I got the impression that he was a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy, very curious about justice and the truth.”
This sense of humility helped shape Shannon’s portrayal of a man whose legacy rests not on ego, but on integrity.
A recurring quality that Shannon admired was Jackson’s habit of listening to colleagues, critics, and even opponents. Far from assuming he had all the answers, Jackson sought out every perspective before moving forward.
Yet his resolve never wavered. The film only hints at the opposition he faced in getting the trials underway, but Shannon emphasizes that Jackson pushed forward with unwavering commitment.
“He basically had to walk through a wall to get this thing to happen. But he just wouldn’t give up.”
It’s this combination of humility paired with relentless purpose that Shannon says guided his performance.
One standout scene involves Jackson confronting the Pope. The moment is sharp, tense, and revealing showcasing Jackson’s ability to cut through moral contradictions.
“It’s a primer on hypocrisy, you hear the acuity of Robert Jackson’s mind.”
One morally fraught moment in the film involves Jackson asking Dr. Douglas Kelley (played by Rami Malek) to break doctor–patient confidentiality. Shannon viewed the dilemma through the lens of the trials’ extraordinary circumstances.
“There’s no healing these people. It really is about unraveling them.”
In this context, Shannon felt Jackson’s request wasn’t a breach of ethics, but a necessary move in pursuit of justice.
Shannon admits he wasn’t familiar with the full extent of the Nuremberg Laws before filming.
“I didn’t know they were that specific. I didn’t know all the little details.”
The scene where Jackson and Kelley discuss these detailed restrictions serves as a stark reminder of how bureaucratic cruelty underpinned the Nazi regime. Shannon appreciated the challenge of presenting such dense information without overwhelming viewers.
One of the film’s most intense moments is Jackson’s cross-examination of Hermann Göring, an 18–20 page exchange of rapid-fire legal and psychological sparring. Shannon and co-star Russell Crowe shocked the crew by insisting they perform the entire sequence in one continuous take.
“They’d scheduled it over three days. We said, ‘No, we’ll just do it today.’”
Despite Shannon’s theater background, he noted that the dense legal jargon made the material uniquely challenging, but performing it as a whole allowed the emotional and dramatic momentum to build naturally.
Shannon is known for characters with sharp edges—flawed, dangerous, or morally ambiguous. Playing someone as genuinely admirable as Jackson offered a different emotional experience.
“It is an honor… I have admiration for him and what he accomplished as a human being.”
Unlike roles centered on darker human impulses, portraying Jackson allowed Shannon to stand in for someone he deeply respects making the project especially meaningful.
Ultimately, Shannon hopes his performance helps audiences discover Jackson’s crucial but often overlooked role in shaping international justice.
“I don't think a lot of people know much about Robert Jackson. And maybe now they will.”
