Arthur

Arthur
Gender	Male
Status	Alive
Eye Color	Brown
Family Members	Unknown
Occupation	Point Man
Loyalties	The Tourist Dom Cobb The Team
Behind the Scenes
Portrayed by	Joseph Gordon-Levitt
First Appearance	Inception: The Cobol Job

“

True inspiration is impossible to fake.

”

Arthur is Dominick Cobb's right-hand man. Although Cobb is the master planner, Arthur takes care of the details, does the research, and makes sure everything is right. Sharing dreams is not just a job for him; he finds his work fascinating. Arthur notably wields a Glock 17, and on one occasion an FN SCAR-L assault rifle. He is portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. His Totem is a red loaded die.

Development

Gordon-Levitt asserts, “Arthur is the organized one, the one making sure everything is in its right place. The way I see it, Cobb is the artist and Arthur is the producer. He’s the one saying, ‘Okay, you have your vision; now I’m going to figure out how to make all the nuts and bolts work so you can do your thing.’ But as fastidious and professional as he is, Arthur didn’t want to apply his organizational skills to being a lawyer or doctor or any of the things he could have been because sharing dreams is fascinating. It’s not just a job for him. It's possible the technology of dream sharing is something that has inspired him since he first heard about it so, ultimately, it’s not the money he’s doing it for. He wouldn’t risk his life for a good paycheck. He loves it.”

The Point Man official poster

Personality

Arthur is the most logical and skeptical individual of the group. As such, he often deals with the details of missions, leaving the grand schemes to the others. He does tap into his creative side occasionally, evidenced by his solution to the problem of creating a kick in a zero-gravity environment.

Abilities

Because his mind is so organized and stable, Arthur is often used as the dreamer for secondary dream levels. Arthur is very knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the World of the Dream and is readily able to explain it to others in very simple terms. He is also very capable at hand-to-hand combat, defeating several guards in the hallways of the hotel.

Quotes

• Saito: "Inception. Is it possible?"
  Arthur: "Of course not."
  Saito: "If you can steal an idea from someone's mind, why can't you plant one there instead?"
  Arthur: "Okay, here's me planting an idea in your head. I say to you, don't think about elephants. What are you thinking about?"
  Saito: "Elephants."

• Ariadne: "What's happening?"
  Arthur: "Cobb's drawing Fischer's attention to the strangeness of the dream, which is making the subconscious look for the dreamer. For me. Quick, give me a kiss."
  [She kisses him and then looks around]
  Ariadne: "They're still looking at us."
  Arthur: "Yeah, it was worth a shot."
• [Ariadne clears throat]
  Arthur: "Cobb said you'd be back."
  Ariadne: "I tried not to come, but..."
  Arthur: "But there's nothing quite like it."
  Ariadne: "It's just... pure creation."
• Eames: "Security's going to run you down hard."
  Arthur: " And I will lead them on a merry chase."
  Eames: "Just be back before the kick."
  Arthur: "Go to sleep, Mr. Eames."
  
• "Can't drop you without gravity." [To Ariadne]
• Arthur: "We have dealt with sub-security before. If we be a little more careful we're gonna be fine!"

      Cobb: "This was not a part of the plan, he's dying!"

Trivia

• He was known as The Point Man in some promotional material.
• He was almost played by James Franco.