Whatever Happened to Oppenheimer's Florence Pugh Character in Real Life? 

Christopher Nolan 's long-awaited biopic Oppenheimer is finally upon us, telling the story of the titular scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, known as the "father of the atomic bomb."

Just like all the other movies made by the legendary director, Oppenheimer was anything but simple to execute. The story jumps from one period to another, introducing a wide array of characters — scientists, politicians, and communists — against the backdrop of a series of government hearings.

Obviously, since the plot is based on a true story, all of the characters in Oppenheimer are real people.

Before starting his work on the Manhattan Project and marrying biologist Katherine 'Kitty' Puening, J. Robert Oppenheimer dated Jean Tatlock, played in the film by Florence Pugh. The physicist continued seeing the woman even after marrying Kitty.

Tatlock was a Communist Party member and student at Stanford School of Medicine when she began dating Oppenheimer in 1936. She introduced him to Communist activists, which led him to develop leftist sympathies. Florence ended her relationship with Robert in 1939, although he continued to visit her.

Their last meeting, which took place in June 1943, was monitored by FBI agents. In 1944, the 29-year-old Tatlock was found dead in her bathroom. Most historians believe that she died of suicide.

However, Nolan's film does not show exactly how Jean died, but the audience learns of her death through dialogue. The circumstances of the tragedy are not revealed, leaving viewers to wonder if Tatlock really took her own life.

According to the plot, Tatlock left a suicide note, but it was not signed. Apparently, Nolan wanted to leave room for the not-so-popular theory that Jean was murdered because of her ties to the Communist Party and Oppenheimer. By not showing the character's death on screen, the director invites the audience to decide for themselves whether suicide was Jean's choice.

While Nolan should be commended for his accurate treatment of history and allowing the viewers to make their own judgement of the historical facts, the version of Tatlock's murder is not supported by the majority of scholars. In real life, the woman was diagnosed with clinical depression shortly before her death, and the coroner confirmed that she committed suicide.