Fans have noticed Cillian Murphy’s lean physique in Oppenheimer, the result of an extreme diet required for his role, but this is not the first time he changed his usual meal plans for work.
Before the Irish actor landed the lead role in Oppenheimer, he was known as Thomas Shelby from the hit BBC drama Peaky Blinders. He portrayed the role of a gang leader, which means he had to bulk up to look the part.
Cillian Murphy Got Slammed For Quitting Vegetarianism
In an interview with Mr. Porter (via Insider), Cillian Murphy revealed he had to quit vegetarianism for his role in Peaky Blinders. The actor was a dedicated vegan since 2003, and his reason for avoiding meat was to prevent acquiring diseases:
“I was vegetarian for about 15 years. But it was never a moral decision. It was more that I was worried about getting mad cow disease.”
He was referring to the neurodegenerative disease that spread among cattle in the 1980s and affected several people through meat consumption. The effect would cause deterioration of the brain and the spinal cord. Murphy is also known to be a germophobe. He added:
“For the first series of ‘Peaky Blinders’, they were anxious that I shouldn’t look like a skinny Irish fella, and my trainer recommended meat. When the waiter asked if I’d like the fish or the venison, I hesitated and he said, ‘Have the venison.’ He was right. It was extraordinary.”
Murphy once revealed that he got rejected from a lot of roles because he was too skinny, the same reason he failed to snag the role of Batman. That changed in 2017 when he starred in Peaky Blinders. Unfortunately, he received flak for quitting vegetarianism and changing his diet routine, as many people disagreed with the actor’s life choice.
Cillian Murphy Only Ate “One Almond” A Day
Cillian Murphy lost a lot of weight for his role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, and he shared with The New York Times what he thinks about his new body frame:
“I love acting with my body, and Oppenheimer had a very distinct physicality and silhouette, which I wanted to get right. I had to lose quite a bit of weight, and we worked with the costume and tailoring; he was very slim, almost emaciated, and existed on martinis and cigarettes.”
Emily Blunt, his co-star in the biopic thriller, revealed that Murphy only ate “one almond most nights or a little slice of apple.” While his exact diet was never revealed, the Inception star does not advise going to extreme lengths (via The Guardian) for roles:
“You become competitive with yourself a little bit which is not healthy. I don’t advise it… I was running on crazy energy; I went over a threshold to where I was not worrying about food or anything.”
Murphy’s insane diet routines for different roles cost his body several changes, and that is how actors display their dedication to the craft of acting and their passion for bringing to life a character in the most realistic way possible.
Oppenheimer is now showing in theaters worldwide.
Sources: Insider, NY Times, The Guardian
