One of the most surprising performances of the year is Rober Downey Jr.’s role as Admiral Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Despite a stacked cast of heavy hitters led by Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, and many others, Downey Jr. holds his ground as the antagonist after playing Iron Man for over ten years.
Nolan mentioned that he never really saw Downey Jr. as Strauss but just wanted an actor who could try something different and move out of their comfort zone, for which The Avengers star was game. The legendary director also mentioned that one scene in particular impressed him so much that he still cannot get over Downey Jr.’s performance in it.
Robert Downey Jr. In Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan announced in 2021 that his next project after 2020’s Tenet would be a biopic on the father of the atomic bomb J Robert Oppenheimer. The idea reportedly struck him after he was gifted a book of speeches by the noted physicist by his Tenet star Robert Pattinson. The director was also an admirer of Oppenheimer after reading his biography.
He cast his long-term collaborator Cillian Murphy in the titular role, which would focus on the physicist’s role in the Manhattan Project as well as his security clearance hearing years later, which was reportedly orchestrated by Lewis Strauss. Nolan also moved away from his regular studio Warner Bros. after their controversial decision to same-day streaming releases.
While Christopher Nolan chose Murphy as the lead and cast Emily Blunt and Matt Damon in supporting roles, he needed someone who was up for the challenge of playing a bureaucrat like Lewis Strauss. He chose Robert Downey Jr. who had just finished his final appearance as Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame and had starred in Dolittle. Nolan spoke to Vanity Fair,
“I knew that he was capable of complete naturalism, of completely stripping away some of that charm, some of that persona, and losing himself in a real character. I could tell he was up for that. He was up for being challenged.”
The actor’s performance was lauded by critics and audiences alike, with Downey Jr. even earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.
Christopher Nolan Has A Favorite Scene Involving Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. has mentioned on multiple occasions that he wanted to work with the legendary director of The Dark Knight Christopher Nolan, despite being on the ‘other side’ of the battle (Nolan was part of the DC universe while Downey Jr. headlined the MCU). The time finally came with Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
For the film, Downey Jr. had to change his entire process of acting as the way Nolan worked was completely different. The director mentioned that Downey Jr. did many things that worked great for the character and was appreciative of his improvisations. He said,
“From a creative point of view, he came extraordinarily well-prepared. It’s a very complicated part, and he had it absolutely down. And he also had a number of, I wouldn’t call them improvisations because a lot of it was very carefully planned, but he had a number of embellishments, things that he wanted to bring to the character, things that he wanted to try out.”
Christopher Nolan also mentioned his favorite performance of the Iron Man star in the film, pointing out that the actor’s take still makes him emotional despite the amount of times he has watched it. He said,
“There’s just a little moment where he just brings his hand up to his neck and it’s a handheld close-up. In that gesture, you just see into this guy’s soul. You just don’t see actors giving you access to somebody’s raw humanity in that way. And it’s such a tiny little moment. Every time it just gets me.”
Robert Downey Jr. also reportedly shaved his head off and lost weight to better suit the look of Strauss in the film as Nolan was not a huge fan of prosthetics.
