“Not Healthy. I Don’t Advise It”: Pushing Himself Over the Verge of Insanity, Oppenheimer Star Cillian Murphy Went Through Grueling Mental and Physical Prep To Play ‘The Father of Atomic Bomb’

It would not be an exaggeration to say Christopher Nolan directs science fiction like no other. Be it Interstellar, Inception, or Tenet, he surpasses the audience’s creative imagination with his dynamic narration. Now, he is gearing up to introduce the story of ‘The Father of the Atomic Bomb’, Oppenheimer, to the audience on July 21st.

Nolan’s actors often undergo gruesome drills to portray his characters with utmost conviction. The 52-year-old director’s Batman Begins required Christian Bale to gain enormous weight to shine as Bruce Wayne. Now, the audience will witness Cillian Murphy’s terrific transformation to play J. Robert Oppenheimer. In an interview with The Guardian, the actor shared his approach to the film and how engrossing it was to play the American theoretical physicist.

Cillian Murphy spills the beans on the nuclear scientist’s role in his latest movie

Julius Robert Oppenheimer led the Manhattan Project during World War II, which developed the first nuclear weapons in the world. Christopher Nolan adapted the nuclear scientist’s biography American Prometheus into the film Oppenheimer, and Cillian Murphy plays the titular role.

While speaking to Charlotte Edwardes of The Guardian, the Irish actor expressed his enthusiasm while working on the sets of the biographical film. “I was running on crazy energy,” he added, before confessing that he was not worried about meal breaks. For the film, he actively reduced his food intake. However, as per The Guardian’s recent report, he admits, “You become competitive with yourself a little bit, which is not healthy. I don’t advise it.”

The 47-year-old actor also added that Oppenheimer himself never ate and thrived on pipes and cigarettes. Though he lost notable weight for the role, Murphy did not reveal the weight loss numbers. He also opened up about how he got a call from Nolan’s wife before he ended up with the physicist role.

Christian Nolan confirms the Irish actor for Oppenheimer over a phone call

The ace director of Hollywood collaborated with Cillian Murphy five times for his Batman franchise, Inception, and Dunkirk. However, he never played the titular role in any of them.. But he got a call from producer Emma Thomas, Nolan’s wife, as the director doesn’t own a cell phone. The Hollywood filmmaker got onto the speaker and said, “Cillian, I’d love you to play the lead in this new thing,” leaving the actor elevated.

Nolan chose Murphy after preparing the script. When he was staring at the cover of the 2005 American Prometheus book, the director realized that features like blue eyes and the intense stare of the scientist resonated with Murphy.

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The movie premiere had already left the film fraternity moved, and the performance of Cillian Murphy is being buzzed as Oscar-Worthy. As the film hits theaters on July 21st, are you excited to watch this World War II saga?

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