Oppenheimer: Christopher Nolan heaps praises on Cillian Murphy’s performance; compares him to Al Pacino

Oppenheimer, the highly anticipated autobiographical thriller that features Cillian Murphy in the titular role, has finally hit the theatres. The movie, which is helmed by master craftsman Christopher Nolan, has been receiving excellent reviews from audiences after its initial screenings. Oppenheimer marks Murphy’s sixth onscreen collaboration with director Nolan, after some famous outings including The Dark Knight Trilogy and Inception. In a recent chat with Los Angeles Times, the filmmaker heaped praises on his leading man and his impeccable acting skills.

Christopher Nolan is all praise for Cillian Murphy

In his chat with Los Angeles Times, director Christopher Nolan extensively spoke about directing Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer and their previous films. Interestingly, the celebrated filmmaker admitted that he didn’t realize the depth of Murphy’s performance as the titular character, theoretical physicist Robert J Oppenheimer in his ambitious film until he started watching its rushes on the editing suite.

“The performance became all-enveloping when I realized Cillian Murphy had so much more going on than what I saw on set,” stated Nolan, who is highly impressed with the actor’s portrayal of the Father of Atomic Bomb. Well, Christopher Nolan’s words clearly hint at how effortless Murphy is, as an actor and has raised expectations over the highly anticipated project.

Christopher Nolan compares Cillian Murphy to Al Pacino

Interestingly, Christopher Nolan also revealed how similar Cillian Murphy’s acting style is to the legendary actor Al Pacino’s performance. The filmmaker recalled working with Al Pacino in the 2002-released psychological thriller Insomnia. According to Nolan, the veteran actor was stunned by the intricate detailing in performance during the making of the film, and he saw the same quality in Murphy while working with him, especially in Oppenheimer.

“After a few takes, I went up to Al Pacino and gave him a note on what I wanted. But, he told me, ‘I’ve already done that. You can’t see it to the eye, but I’ve done it on the dailies.’ I looked for it and I was like, ‘Oh, my God,’ because there it was. Great film actors can do that, and that’s what I had with Cillian Murphy,” recalled the Oppenheimer director.

About Oppenheimer

Cillian Murphy plays the role of Robert J Oppenheimer in the Christopher Nolan directorial, which is based on the 2005-released autobiography American Prometheus, by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin. The project features a stellar star cast including Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, and others in pivotal roles. 

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