Breaking into Hollywood, Cillian Murphy has made a name among his peers. His early notable role in Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic horror 28 Days Later has proved him as a capable actor. Later, he appeared in the dark comedy Intermission, Wes Craven’s thriller Red Eye, the 2006 Irish war drama The Wind That Shakes the Barley, and another Danny Boyle thriller Sunshine.
Murphy was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the 2005 movie, Breakfast on Pluto where he played a transgender Irish woman. Director Christopher Nolan is very fond of the actor, Murphy and Nolan is a long-time collaborator. He appears in almost every Nolan movie. He played Scarecrow in Dark Knight Trilogy and also appeared in the 2010 blockbuster, Inception, and the 2017 historical war movie Dunkirk. However, he is well known for his role as Tommy Shelby in the BBC period drama series Peaky Blinders which gained him global fandom.
Cillian Murphy on Being in Christopher Nolan Movies
Be it, Michael Caine or Cillian Murphy, Christopher Nolan always tries to make room for these two actors. His fondness for the actors is evident in almost every Nolan movie. Murphy appeared in five of Nolan’s movies but the roles were minor. Finally, the Irish actor has got into the lead role of Nolan’s grand project, Oppenheimer. Murphy will portray J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb” in the movie.
The relationship between the actor and the director began when Nolan asked Murphy to screentest for Batman Begins, he played Scarecrow- the antagonist who appeared in all three movies of the trilogy. After doing some minor roles with the director, he is set to be the lead in their sixth collaboration and one of the highly anticipated movies of the year.
“I have always said publicly and privately, to Chris, that if I’m available and you want me to be in a movie, I’m there. I don’t really care about the size of the part. But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him,” Murphy said.
Murphy’s wish is fulfilled now, he will lead the movie, and roles played by Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Rami Malek, and Jack Quaid will revolve around his character. Oppenheimer was made with a $100 million budget which is based on the 2005 book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J.
Cillian Murphy on Getting the Breakthrough Role
It is no secret that Nolan loves working with some select actors over and over again and Murphy is one of them. In an interview with The Associated Press, Murphy honestly revealed the relationship with the director and said how they have enjoyed collaborating. Further, he said that he is thankful for the parts written in his name by the filmmaker.
“We have this long-standing understanding and trust and shorthand and respect. It felt like the right time to take on a bigger responsibility. And it just so happened that it was a (expletive) huge one,” Murphy said.
Further, Murphy revealed that the script for Oppenheimer was the best book-to-screen adaptation he ever read. Recalling the moment when Nolan asked him to play the lead, Murphy said that he approached Murphy with his gentle and English manner.
“He’s so understated and self-deprecating and, in his very English manner, just said, ‘Listen, I’ve written this script, it’s about Oppenheimer. I’d like you to be my Oppenheimer.’ It was a great day.”
Oppenheimer follows the story of Physicist J Robert Oppenheimer working in the Manhattan Project which led to the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
Oppenheimer is scheduled to hit the theatre on 21 July 2023.
Source: Cinema Blend.
