Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy reveals that there was a very impactful word from Christopher Nolan that is still his favourite piece of course of all time. Launched in 2023, Nolan’s biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer marked the newest in an extended line of collaborations between the actor and director.
Oppenheimer‘s glowing critiques helped the movie to carry out on the Academy Awards in 2024. Out of 13 nominations, the historic drama received seven Oscars, together with Finest Director and Finest Image. Murphy additionally received his first Oscar for Finest Actor.
Throughout a latest interview with Jake’s Takes, Murphy revealed that Nolan gave him one delicate but highly effective piece of course that helped him to really unlock Oppenheimer as a personality. In line with the actor, he was taking part in one scene a bit aggressively, prompting Nolan to say: “He isn’t a boxer. He is a chess participant.” Take a look at Murphy’s full recollection of the second beneath:
“I’ve made six movies with Chris, and he is a generational director. Everyone knows that. One of many best administrators ever. And I keep in mind very early on, once I was taking part in Oppenheimer, I got here in a bit heavy with one of many takes. And he mentioned to me: ‘He isn’t a boxer. He is a chess participant.’
“He simply whispered that in my ear simply earlier than the following take, and it simply modified the entire thing. And he hadn’t mentioned something up till that time, after which he mentioned that, and it simply clarified all the things and all the things grew to become clear. It simply modified the entire manner I approached the take. He is so gifted, it is outrageous.”
Oppenheimer Was A Success On Each Degree
Oppenheimer secured Murphy his first ever Oscar nomination and win, however the movie additionally marks Nolan’s solely win. Nolan was beforehand nominated throughout a number of classes for movies like Memento (2000), Inception (2010), and Dunkirk (2017), and his stature as a filmmaker solely continued to rise all through this time.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Oppenheimer enjoys a 93% rating from critics and a 91% from audiences. The movie additionally grossed $975 million worldwide, a exceptional feat for a three-hour, R-rated historic drama. The movie was extensively hailed as Nolan’s masterpiece, however the director’s subsequent challenge, an adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, has the potential to be even greater.
The Odyssey‘s sprawling solid consists of the likes of Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, and Charlize Theron, amongst a bunch of others, however Murphy just isn’t amongst them. Murphy’s initiatives after main the Oppenheimer solid have been far smaller, together with films like Small Issues Like These (2024) and, most just lately, Steve (2025).
Will There Be One other Nolan & Murphy Collaboration After Oppenheimer?
As Murphy notes, he is now made six films with Nolan. Clearly, the pair have a robust inventive relationship. After taking part in small however memorable roles in The Darkish Knight (2008) and Inception (2010), amongst different titles, Oppenheimer marked the primary time Murphy was given the prospect to steer, and it clearly paid off in a serious manner.
It is presently unclear what Nolan will sort out after The Odyssey. That movie is not hitting theaters till July 2026, so it could possibly be a while earlier than the director’s future takes form. Given their historical past, although, and Nolan’s continued collaboration with most of the identical actors, it appears seemingly that Oppenheimer will not be his final movie with Murphy.

- Launch Date
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July 21, 2023
- Runtime
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150 Minutes