Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy says he was 'desperate' to play lead in a Nolan film

Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan have worked together for several years. The Peaky Blinders star has been part of five Nolan films, namely, Inception, Dunkirk, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. However, he finally received the opportunity to play the lead character in Oppenheimer, which is based on the life of the theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer. 

While speaking with the news agency Associated Press, Murphy admitted that he was “desperate” for appearing in a Nolan film in the lead role. He said that he has always told the director that he was available for a role in any movie he needed him for. He also told him that he didn’t care about the length of the role. However, Murphy admitted that he always wanted to lead one of Nolan's movies. 

“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,” Murphy said, adding, “I don’t really care about the size of the part. But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him." He also detailed how Nolan approached him for the Oppenheimer role. 

He recalled Nolan telling him, “‘Listen, I’ve written this script, it’s about Oppenheimer. I’d like you to be my Oppenheimer,’” which made his day. He said that he has a long-standing equation with him. Murphy also pointed out that when he was offered the role, it seemed like it was time for him to take on a bigger responsibility. 
 

More about Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer is based on the 2005 book American Prometheus. Written by authors Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin, the book details the struggle of the physicist detailing his creation of the atomic bomb in the World War II era. The film features Cillian Murphy in the lead role with Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr, Midsommar star Florence Pugh, The Boys star Jack Quaid, Good Will Hunting star Matt Damon, A Quiet Place star Emily Blunt and Mr. Robot star Rami Malek. It’s slated for a July 21 release.