My first take was that we never actually saw the real world throughout...The movie jumps from scene to scene from the very beginning (the same way he describes dreams do) and the convenient timing of characters' arrivals in the real world is just too perfect (especially the asian cat). Basically, everyone we see throughout the whole movie is just Leo's projections acting out his latest fantasy...I rewatched it and didn't think everything fit, but it was a fun theory and fit with Nolan's habit of telling you everything you need to know at the very beginning of his plots (black swan, prestige)
he had nothing to do with black swan.