Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is smashing box office expectations. However, Cillian Murphy, who portrays the titular role of the brilliant and disturbed scientist in the movie, had a difficult journey to get there. Robert Downey Jr., who plays Lewis Strauss, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in the movie, applauded Murphy in a recent interview with People.
Before the release of the highly anticipated movie, director Christopher Nolan claimed that the audience would leave theaters “devastated” and unable to speak after experiencing it. Marvel actor Robert Downey Jr.’s most recent remarks have only served to heighten moviegoers’ sense of expectancy.
Robert Downey Jr. Was in Awe of Cillian Murphy’s “commitment” to the Role
In an interview with People magazine, Robert Downey Jr., who portrays Lewis Strauss in the movie, said he was moved by Murphy’s “commitment” to the role.
“I have never witnessed a greater sacrifice by a lead actor in my career,” Downey told the publication. “He knew it was going to be a behemoth ask when Chris called him. But I think he also had the humility that is required to survive playing a role like this.”
The Sherlock Holmes star added,
“We’d be like, ‘Hey, we got a three-day weekend. Maybe we’ll go antiquing in Santa Fe. What are you going to do?’ ‘Oh, I have to learn 30,000 words of Dutch. Have a nice time.’ But that’s the nature of the ask.”
Murphy claimed earlier in an interview with NME about his preparation for the part that he didn’t go out much. Because of how much work he had to do, he didn’t socialize much. He completely absorbed himself in the role, as always.
How did Cillian Murphy Get into the Headspace of Oppenheimer?
Cillian Murphy stars as theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, regarded as the father of the atomic bomb, in Nolan’s latest historical drama.
In a video shared on Twitter by Rotten Tomatoes, Murphy explained how he was able to inhabit the mind of Oppenheimer, a complex and divisive American character.
Murphy said, despite all the reading and research, once on set, it all becomes about the “moment”. On Oppenheimer, Murphy said the energy of the actors was “electric”, which could be felt.
“You could feel it fizzing at that point in time. It isn’t intellectual, it is instinctual and emotional.”
He earlier said that he also read the Bhagavad Gita, from which Oppenheimer allegedly quoted after the Trinty test, “I become death, the destroyer of worlds”.
“There’s so much archival footage out there, which you can access. Obviously, I’ve read the book but for me, the most important resource was the script. That’s what I really worked on. I had six months from when Chris called me unexpectedly to when we started shooting.”
Oppenheimer is now playing in theaters.
Source: PEOPLE
