Christopher Nolan is back with a high-octane, story-driven spectacle with ‘Oppenheimer.’ It is a biographical drama about the theoretical physicist and ‘father of the atomic bomb,’ J. Robert Oppenheimer. The film stars the acting maverick Cillian Murphy. It also stars Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, and others.
Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan have collaborated on many projects in the past. Murphy famously starred in the ‘Batman’ series as Jonathan Crane, the antagonistic psychiatrist. He also starred in other Nolan films, like Robert Fischer in ‘Inception’ and the World War II drama ‘Dunkirk.’ But it is the first time that he will be starring as a lead in a Christopher Nolan film, and the actor has expressed that he has been desperate to do that and his faith in him as a director on ‘Oppenheimer.’
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Cillian Murphy Was Confident Going With Christopher Nolan For ‘Oppenheimer’
In July 2023, Christopher Nolan’s nuclear drama ‘Oppenheimer’ will be released worldwide. The film is based on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s 2005 book ‘Oppenheimer.’ With every Nolan film, there is a philosophical musing amalgamating with technically superior frames. But it is not an easy job to make everything look seamless. However, Murphy felt confident with the ‘Dunkirk’ director helming the project.
During an interview with the Associated Press, Cillian Murphy talked about the character. He said, “You realize this is a huge responsibility. He was complicated, contradictory, and iconic. But you know you’re with one of the great directors of all time. I felt confident going into it with Chris.”
The ‘Peaky Blinders’ actor continued, “He’s had a profound impact on my life, creatively and professionally. He’s offered me very interesting roles, and I’ve found all of them really challenging. And I just love being on his sets. The question will be how Chris presents it. I think people will be very surprised and wowed by what he does. Anything I say will just seem a bit lame as compared to seeing this in an IMAX theater.”
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The Actor Was Desperate To Star As The Lead In His Films
In the interview, he also talked about working in a Christopher Nolan film as a lead after working as a supporting actor. He said, “I have always said publicly and privately, to Chris, that if I’m available and you want me to be in a movie, I’m there. I don’t really care about the size of the part. But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him.”
The actor chronicled the story of how the director approached him for the film: “He’s so understated and self-deprecating and, in his very English manner, just said, ‘Listen, I’ve written this script, it’s about Oppenheimer. I’d like you to be my Oppenheimer.’ “
He continued, “It was a great day… We have this long-standing understanding and trust and shorthand and respect. It felt like the right time to take on a bigger responsibility. And it just so happened that it was a huge one.”
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