Paycheck is not always on the priority list for many A-listers, as for several actors, the chance of working with their favorite filmmaker often prevails over their desire of wanting a hefty amount. The same can be said for several A-listers, including Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr, who agreed to work alongside Nolan, even though many of them had substantially lesser screen time.
But this didn’t stop them from bringing their absolute A-game moving into the 3-hour long period drama, including the lead actor, Cillian Murphy, who went under extreme transformation for the role.
9 Prominent Stars Who Brought Their A-Game in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
Cillian Murphy:
Being at the forefront of the 3-hour-long biopic, Cillian Murphy arguably delivers one of his best performances to date on the big screen, bringing Nolan’s vision to life. But one of the more impressive feats was the transformation he had undergone for the role, losing a substantial amount of weight in order to replicate J. Robert Oppenheimer’s physique. Although the exact number isn’t known, according to his costars, Cillian Murphy refused dinner invitations every night during the entire production, following his commitment to the job.
Robert Downey Jr:
Witnessing Robert Downey Jr. as something different other than Tony Stark was a breath of fresh air for the fans, and like Cillian Murphy, the Iron Man Star doesn’t pull punches and delivers his absolute best. Playing the role of Lewis Strauss in the film, the actor has delivered one of his best performances since playing Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder. And fans are assured like his role in Tropic Thunder, his work in Oppenheimer too might land him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Matt Damon:
Although reports claimed Damon was reportedly taking a break from acting after Air as a negotiation with his wife during a couples therapy session, the chance of working with Nolan was too much to resist. Playing the Manhattan Project director, General Leslie Groves, the actor too doesn’t disappoint in bringing his charm to the character, and his chemistry with Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer was enticing to watch.
Florence Pugh:
As her first partnership with Christopher Nolan, Florence Pugh plays the role of Jean Tatlock in the movie, who is essential to the emotional core of the film. And like her co-stars, Pugh does an exceptional job with the material she is given, making every single scene she is involved in memorable.
Emily Blunt:
it didn’t take a lot of convincing on Christopher Nolan’s part to bring Emily Blunt on board, as reports claimed, after meeting the director in Los Angeles, she instantly accepted the role. In the movie, Blunt plays the role of Katherine Puening, who ties the knot with Oppenheimer, and she also delivers one of the most impactful scenes in the movie.
Tom Conti:
Throughout his brief scenes portraying the theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, Tom Conti partakes in some of the most gut-wrenching scenes in the movie. And the ending scene, involving the duo of him and Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer, it’s not a hot take to say that it will go down as one of the most iconic endings to a Christopher Nolan movie.
Rami Malek:
Following the long list of celebrity brief appearances in the movie, unlike many big-budget Hollywood flicks, every brief moment from these actors have a purpose, including Rami Malek’s David Hill. Although in total, the actor appears for less than 10 minutes in the movie, it doesn’t stop him from delivering his best, as his final scene ultimately decides Lewis Strauss’ fate.
Benny Safdie:
After doing a reference check with director Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan picked Benny Safdie to play the father of the hydrogen bomb, Edward Teller. But besides doing a great job bringing the controversial figure to life, the actor was also asked by Nolan to not pluck his eyebrows for months for the movie. “I am proud to say that it’s all my eyebrows,” Safdie stated.
Kenneth Branagh:
It appears Kenneth Branagh is becoming the next constant in Christopher Nolan-led projects, as Oppenheimer marked the third collaboration between the two. Despite having a substantially lesser presence in the film, the actor shines as Niels Bohr in the movie.
Apart from these prominent stars, there are a plethora of other A-listers from the heavily star-studded cast, who doesn’t disappoint. But apart from everyone’s brilliance, Nolan deserves the utmost praise for his direction, as he succeeded in bringing the Cillian Murphy-led 3-hour period drama into the mainstream spotlight, which might not have been possible by any other filmmaker.
Oppenheimer is currently in theatres.
