Cillian Murphy has created nothing short of ‘history’ himself by starring and spectacularly portraying the American theoretical physicist and father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. His sixth film with the illustrious filmmaker Christopher Nolan, Murphy gained widespread recognition and is now in line to win several prestigious accolades including the Academy Award.
His first role ever that has brought him such wide acclaim and fame, the Oppenheimer star recently revealed the preparation he did for the role. And the work that he put in is enough to get him an Oscar, at least.
Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer Prep Is Oscar Worthy Alone
Oppenheimer is Cillian Murphy‘s first lead role in a Christopher Nolan and just as everyone had expected, the actor did one of his finest works ever in the film. And so, his impressive portrayal of one of the most important human beings in the history of human civilization has rightly earned him several accolades and nominations.
Expected to get his first-ever Academy Award this year for the role, the efforts and hard work he put into the role are Oscar-worthy on their own. While conversing with The New York Times recently, Murphy revealed how he just had about 6 months to prepare for the role of the most important man that ever lived.
“From the moment Chris called me, I just started working — from the inside out and from the outside in. I did an awful lot of reading and research and watched every single archival footage about him.”
But researching was the easy part, Murphy also had to condition his body physically in order to resemble Oppenheimer.
“Then I immediately started conditioning my body because he was very interesting how he carried himself physically and how slight his frame was. But a lot of it was just walking around my basement in Dublin talking to myself and practicing, practicing and practicing.”
And so it took Murphy 6 months of absolute mental and physical preparation along with extensive research to portray J. Robert Oppenheimer as exceptionally as he did.
Cillian Murphy Could Not Have Made Oppenheimer With Anyone Else
Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan’s first collaboration was in 2005 in the film Batman Begins. Since then their collaboration and friendship have only grown and blossomed beautifully in the form of last year’s atomic blockbuster, Oppenheimer. And now Murphy states he couldn’t have done their Oscar-nominated with anyone else other than Nolan.
While talking to The New York Times, he remarked,
“Oh, it’s [his history with Nolan] crucial for me. I don’t think I could have made this film with anyone else, without that level of trust that goes back six movies and 20 years. He really, really pushed me and I wanted to be pushed. He expects excellence from you because that’s what he delivers himself every single day.”
Adding that it was quite a remarkable experience working with Nolan on a ‘Nolan-set’, Murphy remains eternally grateful and humble for the opportunity.
As the industry gears up for the Academy Awards, fans hope to see the iconic duo of Murphy and Nolan back again in yet another awe-inspiring tale.
Oppenheimer can be rented on Amazon Prime.
