Robert Downey Jr.’s Ridiculous Take On Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer Role
Robert Downey Jr. has nothing but great things to say about Cillian Murphy’s commitment to his performance in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In a moment of absolute admiration for his co-star, the man behind Iron Man stated, “I have never witnessed a greater sacrifice by a lead actor in my career.” The rest of the Oppenheimer cast, as well as Christopher Nolan, feel exactly the same way.
“I have never witnessed a greater sacrifice by a lead actor in my career. He knew it was going to be a behemoth ask when Chris called him. But I think he also had the humility that is required to survive playing a role like this.”
Robert Downey Jr. on Cillian Murphy
Elaborating on Cillian Murphy’s commitment to his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. told People that the Inception star rarely took time off so he could nail down his character.
He further elaborated that when the cast had a production break in the form of a three-day weekend, Murphy would often decline any non-work related adventures because he wanted to do something crazy like “learn 30,000 words of Dutch.” So while everybody else was going on an antiquing excursion in Santa Fe during their much deserved time off, Murphy was hitting the books, and truly getting lost in trying to make sure his delivery was authentic.
Emily Blunt, who portrays Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty, told People that Murphy would “only eat, like, an almond every day.”
Like Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh expressed how much she admired Cillian Murphy’s devotion to his craft while filming Oppenheimer. Citing her experience working alongside Murphy on set, Pugh stated that he would show up every day with his mannerisms, inflections, and intonation on lock.
Pugh went on to say that she had been wanting to work with Murphy for years, and when she finally had the chance to do so, he did not fail to amaze her with his professionalism.
Cillian Murphy would often decline any non-work related adventures because he wanted to do something crazy like “learn 30,000 words of Dutch.”
It goes without saying that learning lines and stage directions is simply part of the job when you’re an actor. But in order to truly look the part, Cillian Murphy also had to lose quite a bit of weight to more closely resemble J. Robert Oppenheimer. Robert Downey Jr. had to similarly commit to transforming his body by working out several days a week when he was preparing for the role of Iron Man.
But unlike Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy didn’t have to hit the gym, but rather commit to an extremely restrictive diet to shed off the pounds. Emily Blunt, who portrays Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty, told People that Murphy would “only eat, like, an almond every day.” Though we’re not sure of the exact diet Murphy adhered to, he did say in an interview with E! News that the real J. Robert Oppenheimer “existed on martinis and cigarettes.”
Oppenheimer saw its theatrical debut on July 21, and has already pulled in a worldwide box office gross of $180 million against its budget of $100 million. What’s more, the Christopher Nolan film has garnered a 94 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Though Cillian Murphy is receiving universal praise for his commitment to his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer, it goes without saying that working alongside Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Florence Pugh were instrumental in pushing him to show up every day and do his absolute best in what will probably be regarded as his most iconic role for years to come.
If you want to see one of the greats get totally lost in a role for the sake of compelling cinema, then Oppenheimer comes with strong recommendation, and you should catch it on the big-screen before it’s too late.
