Memento Actor Who Played Sammy Jankis Actually Had Amnesia in Real Life

The film Memento was a mind-boggling one by director Christopher Nolan. It’s well known for its broken storytelling and misplaced timelines. The masterpiece of the 2000s follows Leonard Shelby in his quest for answers. The main character suffers from a rare form of amnesia in which his brain is impaired in encoding new memories. What makes Leonard’s journey easier is the fact that he knows someone with the same condition Sammy Jankis, and the system Jankis adopted to make a somewhat decent life for himself.

Real-Life Experience Helped the Star in Memento

As it turns out, Stephen Tobolowsky, who plays Sammy Jankis, an amnesiac in the movie, was selected for this role because of his real-life experience. He suffered from temporary memory loss and explained that his experience with it might have helped him immensely to become even better in his role. He explained that his condition made him better understand the entirety of having amnesia and what it’s like to live with it.

Visuals Become Cultural Tropes

The film closely followed Leonard Shelby who continuously tattooed his body with different snaps of memory so he could be reminded at a later point. The visuals quickly turned into popular cultural tropes. While the main character searches for justice, the movie jumps back and forth between different periods. Tobolowsky explains that since he used to wake up in the middle of the night and not remember why he was in a particular place, he was the best actor to play the role. Although the condition in Memento was far more severe, the actor’s experience certainly made him more self-aware.

Stephen Tobolowsky explained why he had temporary memory loss. It was actually when he had an operation for kidney stones and experimental medications were used to calm the after-effects. He relays that it never actually stopped the pain, but it made him forget about it. When he was released to go home, he was still under the influence which had him forgetting everything – the perfect aid for his Memento role, as it turns out.