The film industry is a place where bringing innovation and art together to make a cinematic offering will become one of the most rewarding experiences, not only for the audience but also for the mind behind it. Director Christopher Nolan has proved, time and time again, that his vision for a film far exceeds most of his peers when it comes to the expression of the art of cinema.
And not just the vision that he has for the projects he takes on, but also for stars that he works with on his films to make his idea into the beautiful reality he’s known for. Taking an example from one of the best films of his career, Nolan revealed that while the inclusion of Cillian Murphy in the film was a risk, it was one that he was willing to take, which paid off in the end.
Christopher Nolan Admits Taking A Risk With Cillian Murphy In Batman Begins
Revered as one of the greatest of all time, director Christopher Nolan has made sure to hold true to that title by gracing audiences around the world with nothing but exceptional films. Thus, it almost feels like he can see the future and how doing certain things in the present will lead to the best possible outcome. But even Nolan admits to being uncertain at times like the instance when he was unsure whether Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy would be fit to play a role in his then-upcoming film Batman Begins.
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During an interview, the Dunkirk director revealed that there were a lot of suitable candidates to play the role of Bruce Wayne, which eventually went to Christian Bale, and Murphy was also one of the stars that were gunning for the titular role of the vigilante. Nolan further said that though he knew that Bale would take the role of Batman in the end, he still wanted the 28 Days Later star in the film. The problem was he wasn’t sure if Murphy was right for the role of Scarecrow, one of the villains of the film.
Thus, with uncertainty hanging above the star, he was given the chance to audition, and Nolan immediately knew they found the villain they were searching for. While talking with Murphy during the interview, Nolan said:
“When we had our first conversation I think both of us knew that you weren’t going to wind up playing Batman. But I really wanted to get on set with you, I wanted to get you on film. We did those screen tests very elaborately, on 35mm, with a little set. There was just an electric atmosphere in the crew when you started to perform. We did two scenes — there was a Bruce Wayne scene and a Batman scene — and I made sure that executives came down and watched what you were doing on set. Everybody was so excited by watching you perform that when I then said to them, “Okay, Christian Bale is Batman, but what about Cillian to play Scarecrow?” there was no dissent. All the previous Batman villains had been played by huge movie stars: Jack Nicholson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Carrey, that kind of thing. That was a big leap for them and it really was purely on the basis of that test. So that’s how you got to play Scarecrow.”
After that, Nolan was impressed by the Anna star so much that they have been collaborating with each other ever since, and probably will continue in the future as well.
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Christopher Nolan And Cillian Murphy Are Back For Oppenheimer
After the success of Batman Begins, Murphy has collaborated on most of Nolan’s projects like Dunkirk, Inception, and the upcoming historical thriller Oppenheimer. the story is an adaptation of the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist that was part of the top-secret Manhattan Project which eventually led to the creation of the atomic bomb. The film is all set to depict the journey of how a man that became the harbinger of destruction.
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Oppenheimer, in cinemas on 21 July 2023
Source: Entertainment Weekly
