Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is one of the biggest movies of the year, earning over $950 million and becoming one of the highest-grossing biopics. The film was acclaimed for its writing and performances of actors Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and Emily Blunt, with all of them contending for the Oscars.
The film based on the making of the atomic bomb starred an ensemble of actors playing the roles of various scientists and bureaucrats who were part of the Manhattan Project. Apart from Downey Jr, and Cillian Murphy, fans seem to have fallen in love with actor Josh Hartnett, who plays the Nobel laureate Ernest Lawrence.
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Standout Performances In Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
Director Christopher Nolan, who previously made the mind-bending action thriller Tenet, announced that his next film would be a biopic on Robert J Oppenheimer, the Father of the Atomic Bomb. Oppenheimer was a renowned and genius physicist who was hired as the director of the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos Laboratory during World War 2.
The physicist was tasked with winning the war against Germany by developing the atomic bomb, which would be the first instance of nuclear weaponry being used in the world. The bomb was dropped in Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the effects of which are seen to this day. Nolan’s film would look at Oppenheimer’s life before the project and after the bombing, when he led a crusade to denuclearize the world.
Frequent Nolan collaborator Cillian Murphy was cast in the titular role and his performance was widely lauded by critics and audiences alike. The actor was credited with bringing out the existentialist dread in Oppenheimer post the bombings and during his security clearance hearing. Emily Blunt, who played his wife Kitty, was also lauded for her short yet strong performance.
Another standout performance in the film was of Robert Downey Jr., who plays Admiral Lewis Strauss. Strauss was the one who led a crusade against Oppenheimer due to a personal rivalry with the physicist. Downey Jr. was appreciated by audiences for his powerful performance and was touted to be a contender for the Oscars.
Also read: Even Before Oscars, Cillian Murphy Has Already Won an Award for Oppenheimer
Josh Hartnett Seems To Be The Breakout Star In Oppenheimer
While the lead actors Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and Emily Blunt received their due recognition, the breakout star according to fans seems to be Josh Hartnett. The Pearl Harbour star played the role of the nuclear physicist Ernest O Lawrence, who had won the Nobel Prize for his invention of the cyclotron. He was part of the Manhattan Project and was a friend of Oppenheimer’s.
Hartnett appears in many scenes in the film, acting as a voice of reason for Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer. Lawrence is a practical physicist who tries to keep Oppenheimer grounded as the latter is a theoretical physicist. Hartnett also discourages him from being overtly political on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley due to Oppenheimer’s left-leaning ideology.
Josh Hartnett’s performance as Ernest Lawrence seems to have stood out among the sea of stars who feature in the film such as Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, and more. Fans were campaigning for the actor to get more recognition in the film, with many calling him a scene-stealer.
No matter what your opinion of #Oppenheimer is, I bet we can all agree that up until now, Hollywood has done Josh Hartnett dirty. He’s a scene-stealer in it. Maybe it’s from a continual growth honing his craft, but he should’ve been front & center of real dramas this entire time. pic.twitter.com/E6U8Zj06t5
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) November 24, 2023
He’s quite undervalued, yeah. Although how his career turned out, I recall, was by choice and him choosing to step away from the spotlight, I’m glad he’s trickling his way back in.
— Matthew St.Clair (@filmguy619) November 25, 2023
I’ve been waiting for him to get a starring role in a bit budget movie for yearsssssssss. Such an underrated actor.
— Hero (@HeroShinwoo) November 25, 2023
His Oscar moment is coming. I can feel it. He’s damn incredible.
— InTheCut-Magazine (@ComplexCut) November 25, 2023
Rewatched Penny Dreadful after I saw Oppy in theaters. He is fantastic in everything.
— red sauce (@Mondo_1) November 25, 2023
He was in it way more than I thought he would be, and was the 3rd best performance, and in a movie filled with great performances, and being only behind Murphy and RDJ, that’s pretty damn impressive
— Robert (@RobertByron23) November 25, 2023
While his screen presence might not be as prominent as that of Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr., Josh Hartnett still seemed to have stood out and has gained the love of fans around the world.
Source: X
