“Oppenheimer” is a high point in both Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan‘s careers and the culmination of nearly two decades of collaboration between the two men. No film in Nolan’s oeuvre is more reliant on a single actor to carry the story — and he trusted the role (and the sacrifices that accompanied it) to one of his most trusted collaborators.
Murphy has been a regular member of Nolan’s acting ensemble since being cast as Scarecrow in “Batman Begins.” He went on to appear in “The Dark Knight,” “Inception,” and “The Dark Knight Rises” (along with a cameo appearance in “Dunkirk”) before taking on the lead role in “Oppenheimer.” In addition to being one of Nolan’s most loyal actors, Murphy is also a fan of the director’s films that don’t feature him.
In a recent interview with The Independent, Murphy was asked if there was a Nolan film that he wishes he could have starred in. He singled out the 2014 space travel epic “Interstellar” as a film that particularly moved him. While Murphy admits that he has fantasized about appearing in the film, he concedes that Nolan ended up casting “the right people” and said that he enjoys watching it as a fan without the pressure of critiquing his own work.
“I adore ‘Interstellar’ just because I find it so emotional,” Murphy said. “I remember seeing it in the cinema when I had little kids. It just had a big impact on me. It broke my heart. I love watching his films when I’m not in them because you don’t have to freak out about the size of your ears, or whatever.”
Murphy continued to share his thoughts about Nolan’s filmography when he was asked to pick an ideal film to watch as a double feature with “Oppenheimer.” He unsurprisingly cited “Interstellar” as a potential option, and recommended “Dunkirk” due to its short running time and historical subject matter.
“You could go ‘Interstellar,’ which is very… explores similar scientific, physic themes. Or you could watch ‘Dunkirk,’ which is also set in World War II,” he said. “‘Dunkirk’ is shorter, so that might be a good match ‘cause it’s like an hour-and-a-half, and then you can go into [‘Oppenheimer’].”
