How Oppenheimer Made Cillian Murphy's 20-Year-Long Dream Come True
The hidden meaning behind the role that the audience never realized.
Oppenheimer vs. Barbie has already been hailed by the Internet as both the greatest cinematic battle and the greatest premiere event imaginable.
However, memes aside, it comes down to the quality and importance of these two separate films, which should also be reviewed separately.
While one could argue that Greta Gerwig's Barbie is almost as much of a biopic as Christopher Nolan 's Oppenheimer, the comparison wouldn't be fair to either. Much darker, raw in emotion, and downright devastating to many viewers who have seen it in theaters, Oppenheimer stays very much in its own lane.
Just like Cillian Murphy, who portrays J. Robert Oppenheimer himself, stays in his own lane of very unique actors. Extremely talented, yet very uncomfortable in the spotlight, he fits into every complex character there is.
What's also great is that the actor has been Nolan's biggest fan since the early days of their collaboration and that admiration has helped him appreciate his roles even more.
Oppenheimer, on the other hand, differs from what they have done together in one very specific aspect. Murphy, who is no stranger to the director's work, gets to play the lead role he's always wanted to play. The actor shared his excitement with the Associated Press:
“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 20-year wait has come to an end with perhaps the most powerful film Christopher Nolan has directed to date. And needless to say, Cillian Murphy took the opportunity very seriously.
Starting with the failed audition for Batman in 2003, and working his way up through Nolan's filmography (and outside of it), the actor worked hard to perfect his craft. A movie like Oppenheimer leaves no room for mistakes, and Cillian Murphy has definitely proven that he is not the type to make any.
If you want to see Cillian Murphy in his dream starring role in Oppenheimer, mark your calendars for July 21 and head to your local theater for tickets.
Source: Associated Press