How Cillian Murphy became Robert Oppenheimer in 6 months for Christopher Nolan: Strict diet, read the Gita, ate only almonds

“There’s so much archival footage out there, which you can access. Obviously, I’ve read the book but for me the most important resource was the script. That’s what I really worked on. I had six months from when Chris called me unexpectedly to when we started shooting.”

The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J Sherwin. Oppenheimer, led by Cillian Murphy, is powered by a strong supporting cast which includes Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Florence Pugh.

Murphy said, despite all the reading and research, once on sets, it all becomes about the “moment”. On Oppenheimer, Murphy said the energy of the actors was “electric”, which could be felt.

“I think when you get on the floor with actors like these guys and Chris, you kind of just put that aside and it all becomes about the moment and the truth and the emotions between the actors and everyday it was a gift. I can’t give you one specific point, but there were many scenes in the film, like with Robert, Emily and Matt that were just electric. You could feel it fizzing at that point of time. It isn’t intellectual, it is instinctual and emotional,” he added.

Cillian Murphy shares how he became J. Robert #Oppenheimer for Christopher Nolan’s new film. pic.twitter.com/uOQvQwO3RI

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) July 23, 2023

When the interviewer mentioned that Murphy had lost so much weight for the role that he looked “sickly” in the film and they wanted to give him a sandwich throughout the movie, the actor laughed and said, “I would have taken it.”

Blunt said in New Mexico, the team would eat quesadillas, but Murphy would be in his room, eating almonds. Damon said the actor “declined” every dinner invitation for the entire filming duration. “We invited him every night, he never came once,” Damon added.

Oppenheimer released last Friday and has been doing great business globally, apart from being already ranked as one of the best Christopher Nolan films of all times. In India, the film has minted nearly Rs 49 crore in three days and is set to do good bsuiness in the coming weeks.