He will arrive at the Oscars night with a very solid record, after winning the Golden Globe, the Bafta and the actors’ union award, an accurate indicator of who will win the statuette. Although his impeccable work in Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece that portrays the life of Robert Oppenheimer has been the basis for the film of the same name to become one of the biggest box office hits of 2023, there is one factor that can leave him holding his own. empty, the fabulous work of Paul Giamatti in Those Who Remain, who already left it out in the Critics Choice. A favorite of Nolan, who had already hired him on 5 other occasions, the Irishman Cillian Murphy has found in Oppenheimer the opportunity to crown a sublime career, which includes having shone as the protagonist of the series Peaky Blinders.
How did you come to join Oppenheimer?
I was very calm at home eating cheese when I received a call from Chris without anyone telling me anything. As soon as I answered, he told me with his characteristic British accent: “I’m making a film about Oppenheimer and I’d like you to play him.” It was a great impact. I had a very basic knowledge of him and the Manhattan Project, but I knew that this was going to be a very ambitious film. Obviously I was a little scared, but I love when work scares me. Feeling pressure seems important to me. It’s great when you’re wondering how the hell you’re going to do it. The best results come this way. The truth is that Chris then traveled to Dublin, I sat in his hotel room and read the script from cover to cover. It was one of the best I’ve ever seen.
What was your impression on that first reading?
I’ve never seen anything like that written in the first person. I had to crawl out of that hotel room. I was shocked that his intention was to try to tell the story from Oppenheimer’s subjective point of view, and that scared me even more.
Because you felt like you were going to carry all the weight on your shoulders…
Sure, but luckily he later hired the best actors in the world to accompany me. It gave me a lot of security knowing that I was going to do my scenes with them, and that Christopher Nolan was going to direct us. Especially because we have a long working relationship, in which we understand each other a lot and have complete trust in each other.
How was the filming?
We filmed it very quickly, it was 57 days in total. What Chris’s films have is that they have a very long pre-production. I had to travel to Los Angeles many times. From the moment he showed me the script until we started filming, 6 months passed, during which we tried everything, the hair, the clothes, the makeup, the chemistry with Emily. And then when it was time to shoot everything was work. There was total concentration, absolute rigor and detailed attention to each scene. He expects excellence from everyone who participates, and those of us who are on his set know it. And yet we never felt like he was rushing us. When we act, it is the most important thing happening in the world. There is never a lack of time to repeat the shot. Performances are sacred in his films. There is only one camera and Chris. He gives you the feeling that you are making an independent film, with a huge canvas. But soon you’re in another part of the United States, filming again. It’s like you’re on a train, and before you know it, everything is over. At least that was my experience.
Nolan sees himself as a cinema craftsman…
That’s how it is. What I’ve always liked about him is that he assumes that the audience is very intelligent. He is never afraid to go a little further. He never underestimates the viewers. And that’s very refreshing. This film shows that the public can follow him.
What do you feel was the biggest challenge of becoming Robert Oppenheimer?
There were many challenges but at the same time everything generated great enthusiasm in me. Becoming this character, this icon that transformed the world, was an enormous responsibility. But I knew that with Chris I was going to be in the best hands. Luckily there was plenty of room to experiment and be curious. It was a constant challenge, but that was my driving force.
Did you consider saying no?
No, I said yes before reading the script. It was enough for me that Chris had thought of me for a new role. I also understood the importance of properly telling this story. So my only option was to go for it. There was no room for doubt.
What was the preparation like to become him?
I read and researched a lot. I studied how she spoke and what her way of walking was. And then with Chris and Ellen on my trips to Los Angeles I tried on suits and hats. He was a man who worked very hard to create an image for himself. He originated his own mythology from a very young age, something that can be seen in the film. That’s why we had to pay a lot of attention to the hats, the suits and the pipe. It was an essential part. We also have an extraordinary team in the technical part. And of course, Chris was very clear about how he wanted the film to look, so it was a dream context to play this role.
What did you learn about Oppenheimer in your research?
Very much. I was greatly helped by everything I read about his formative years and childhood, something that is not seen at all in the film. That helped me understand who he was as an adult. I also had the opportunity to talk to Kip Thorne, a physicist who attended his lectures as a young man, so it was fascinating to hear first-hand how he moved when he was in front of an audience, how he held his pipe, and that kind of things. All of this helped me a lot in my preparation. In various texts I was able to access many other first-hand accounts of what he was like. But ultimately, when you make a film, the script becomes your primary source, and your research contributes to your work in a subliminal way.
