'Oppenheimer' Cast on the Creative Freedom of Working with Writer-Director Christopher Nolan
The #Oppenheimer cast sits down with IMDb to discuss writer/director Christopher Nolan's "magnum opus" biopic about the father of the atomic bomb. Star #CillianMurphy reveals why he didn't feel the need to understand all of the complex quantum physics colliding around inside of J. Robert Oppenheimer's brain in order to portray him on screen. Matt Damon (Leslie Groves) discusses why he thinks of Nolan as an engineer of a film set, relating the auteur's scientific ingenuity to a behind-the-scenes moment from 'Inception' (2010). Emily Blunt (Kitty Oppenheimer) discusses the whirlwind production, and how the film's pace may seem "dizzying," but the experience on set was one of creative freedom and artistic support. And #RobertDowneyJr. (Lewis Strauss) reveals his own misconceptions of what it'd be like to work with Nolan before heaping praise on Murphy for not only his performance, but also his leadership that made the whole cast want to elevate their own performances. This interview was recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike.
NOTE: These interviews were completed in June 2023.
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00:00 Intro
00:14 Did the cast learn quantum physics?
02:07 Matt Damon and Emily Blunt says Christopher Nolan is an artist and engineer
03:45 Why Robert Downey Jr. was intimidated to join a Nolan movie
05:56 Matt Damon wants to audition for Nolan's next project
06:30 Being casted in a Nolan film
07:15 Cast raves Cillian Murphy's performance
10:43 Why 'Oppenheimer' is Nolan's "Magnum Opus"
11:20 The runaway train of a Nolan production
I know everyone is praising Cillian (deservingly so), but man it is refreshing to see RDJ in a non-MCU environment. This guy is a phenomenal actor and I personally cannot wait to see more of him
I went to see this movie and saw RDJs name on the poster and thought "cool" and then nothing of it. I went out of the movie and my wife said that RDJ was really good in this movie, and I asked, "who did he play again?". I did not recognise him at all. This is something that few actors manage. My other example is Geoffrey Rush who plays a zombie pirate in the Caribbean, Maquis de Sades in Quills, and a timid theatre owner in Shakespeare in Love. I only much later realised that it was the same actor. So yeah, fedora off for RDJ for an absolutely stellar performance.
RDJ was just a treat to watch in this flick . Really glad we get to see him stretch his wings post ironman.
RDJ is actually a great dramatic actor. His Chaplin biopic was amazing. Unfortunately, he's casted in comedy, romcoms, action, & superhero movies too often. He's often casted in those roles, so when he plays a dramatic role like in Oppenheimer, people be like "Whoa! He's great!"
He was absolutely superb as Strauss and may well get a nomination out of it
Cillian did great, but I also wanna comment on RDJ. Coming into this movie, not knowing who played who outside Cillian playing Oppenheimer obviously, I figured RDJ would be one of the fellow scientist. I was like "great, we're gonna get basically Tony Stark but with real life science talk" ... which I wasn't very excited about. Then it turns out his role was actually quite the opposite, he was more of a planner, a politician, a kiss ass if you will, and for the first say two hours of the movie I was all "yeah, ok, this isn't bad, he's doing a good job playing something completely different than I expected", but I also wasn't sure why he was hired for the role. I mean, couldn't just anyone play this? But then, when his character realizes he's in trouble, and he lets the mask slip and goes off on that venomous tirade..! Fucking hell, it gave me chills.
It’s great to see Cilian enjoying the interviews (atleast that is what it looks like) and smiling a lot. Also, super glad RDJ got this opportunity to work on this movie with such incredible cast and got a chance to show once again what he is capable of.
Being iconic for a character is really hard, it's just a double-edged knife in the industry.
I think RDJ kept him laughing. Especially in the junkets.
Cillian Murphy needs to win an academy award he is truly a phenomenal actor
Peaky Blinders became my favorite show on Netflix, mostly because of Cillian and his brilliant acting and portrayal of Tommy Shelby. I cannot wait to see him as Oppenheimer
Nah, Barbie will sweep the Oscars for sure /s
Oppenheimer won’t get many awards probably, that’s what makes Nolan so different I feel like his films are actually very well conceived and some of the best movies of our time but at the same time you have to be a real big fan of cinema to really appreciate them
@@hippiecheezburger5457Oscar’s voters famously not real big fans of cinema
He's too good for the Oscars 😌
Downey is a kinda visibly overwhelmed !! May be he has just landed on a role he was looking for a very long time, so is with Murphy. Very energetic conversation!!
Because he has been iron man for so long that maybe he thought he had Lost the ability to act in a REALLY meaty role.❤ Good for him, he's amazing.
@melisagalvalizi6982 I just rewatched him in Kiss kiss bang bang the other day and he is stellar in that role. RDJ 100% has the talent
most people only know RDJ as Tony stark - iron man,lol... even though what they don't know, long before cillian, blunt, matt, and even nolan became famous, RDJ was already an oscar nominee going back to 92,,,alongside alpacino
@@GeneralZod1991 Yeah and everyone forgot he was the best Sherlock Homes. I wished they'd done a 3rd one.
@@PixPeteit's very difficult writing a Sherlock Holmes movie that's why it's taking so long. but I heard somewhere that it's being talked on
Cillian Murphy immersed the role so hard you can no longer see him acting, he just fully embodied Oppenheimer, absolutely an oscar worthy performance.
This is so true. I got lost in reality portrayed in the final hour of the movie. It all felt so real to me. That's the power of great acting!
Loving the press tour for this movie. The amount of praise being heaped on Cillian is deserved and I'm all for it.
And on Nolan and his work ethics
It's amazing to see all these phenomenal actors genuinely praise Cillian. You can tell he's introverted, and Cillian says it's a dream to work with these big names. Meanwhile, they're really trying to get him to understand that his acting and dedication to the role is unlike anything they've seen ❤❤❤
Been a while since I've seen the whole cast talking so passionately about working on a film....Matt Damon in particular, every interview for Oppenheimer, he's just so happy talking about how great it was working on the film and working with Chris
Great intervjue
The energy of this cast MY GOD. I love this. As a Cillian fan, i've never seen him so fricking happy. Love this omgggggg
That's "Oppen"-ergy for sure!
@@ushnishbhattacharyya6672 AHAHAHA amazing!!
Yes omg
Same
I watched the film...3hrs wasn't even long enough...I have never come out of a movie and my brain is swirling with a million thoughts. It was a masterpiece and I am so proud of Cillian so proud to be Irish...this is his time and hands down this film is giving him an Oscar so deserved. It was breathtaking...it was not about an atomic bomb it was much more a life lesson ❤
Thanks for your continuous love and support ❤❤ how long have you been a fan of mine?
I love how these 4 interact…..how their collaboration and connection to each other on this film enhanced and changed them all ♥️
Agree. The collective passion of these actors is contagious. Makes you admire their camaraderie and their craft. Feels like you're in the room with them. That's how absorbing the vibe of this group is.
It's sweet seeing how genuinely in awe RDJ is of Cillian and how he takes every opportunity to heap some very well deserved praise onto him.
Cillian Murphy one of the best actors of his generation, happy to see him get the lead role in Oppenheimer, he’s going to nail the role, excited to see Robert Downey Jr. in the movie too, amazing actor 👏👏👏 Loving the chill vibe between Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. 😊
I need Cillian to keep being the lead of Nolan’s films especially if the character fits Cillian. It’s the perfect pairing like De Niro and Scorsese were in the 70s-80s
Cillian deserves an Oscar for this. I thought at 3 hours long I'd get bored but I couldn't take eyes off him.The film is amazing@
Yepp
I agree, 3 hours just flew away so quickly. I was really into the movie as if it was happening in front of me in real time.
I’ve already stared at him for 18 hours (yup I’ve seen it 6 times already 😅) and still can’t get enough of him and the film…it’s phenomenal
@@blackmamba6046 I don't blame you! He is pretty mesmerising! The film is amazing too!
This is probably going to be one of the best films of the year
Of the decade
100%
I think it will be hugely influential not just for this year, but overall for cinematic history
@@vitsobotka6268 it’s already cinematic history with Christopher Nolan going to imax to have them invent the first 70mm imax black and white film. That’s a first ever for the company and for the film industry.
@@internetj3r indeed
I loved Robert took charge of the interview in half way 😂. There's a lot of chemistry in this cast. And I loved Cillian finally got a protagonic role, you see him in Peaky Blinders and really got to ask myself why in the world we don't get to see him in more main roles
robert is just amazingg! I feel like every interview that he is in with cillian , he never misses out the opportunity to compliment cillian for his acting. Like robert truly respects cillian as a an actor
RDJ is a gem
@@ssotkow absolutely 🙌🏻
Yepp
RDJ has a lot of potential that these high caliber actors could unlock in him. Hes too good for Hollywood.
cillian deserves all the praises and acknowledgments today. never seen an actor so humble despite being insanely talented
What a humble, genuine guy Cillian is. Such a lovely human.
no one is talking about emily's performance enough. She was so significant.
I'm happy that Cillian is finally getting the recognition he deserves as a lead role & Robert's relationship with him seems too good ❤
Just love the way they adore Nolan’s directing style, it means that much more when you have four well established and experienced actors singing the praises of the director
Loving that RDJ is energized during these press tours. Dont get me wrong, he always sounds fun and professional during press work, but he seems to have renewed energy.
The best interview of the cast so far. Solid questions, which provoked really good insight into the minds of the set.
Thank you, I really appreciate that!
Cillian is just gorgeous, no matter what he plays😊
Rdj is amazing and inspiring. With Cillian Murphy it gets even better
After watching this actor (Cillian) in Peaky Blinders i dreamed to see him to have an opportunity to see him movies like this. Mygosh it's mind blowing!
Watched today. I am SO floored by this movie. Just an astounding cinema achievement. The score when they're doing the test is exhilarating and I was literally just holding on anxiously and tightly to my empty snack box. Robert Downey Jr has been Iron Man for so long that you forget he's such an incredible actor and Cillian? Just shut it down. He's gonna sweep every single award out there. Incredible acting in an incredible film with a master director atop of his game. Do NOT miss this film in the theater. Just. Don't.
hope Cillian wins an oscar for this role
Robert is always so nice and funny in the interviews 🥺❤️❤️ I've been reading nothing but praises for his performance in the movie. i really hope he'll win an oscar
I just watched Oppenheimer, and let me tell y’all, it’s one of the best movies I’ve seen in YEARS
Cillian Murphy is such a gem
Having worked all my life at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, the movie resonated so well with me. This was as close to the real thing as could be possible. Each and Everyone associated with the Movie deserves a Standing Ovation.
I honestly love how open Emily is, usually with these kinds of promos everything is wooden to not put a step wrong, it’s so nice and refreshing to see people who love their craft talking about it so openly and with such passion and honesty.
I LOVE THIS because it's heart warming when actors are completing each others' sentences, I Honestly felt the respect and admiration among themselves !!
rdj brings every Oppenheimer interviews to life
this is the best interview this far no awkward uncomfortable atmosphere.
all genuinely praising Cillian, he's so talented and humble, also introverted, it's funny and cute to see LOL🥺❤
57 days!... That's crazy. It makes a lot of sense for the studio. It makes sense for the leader actors who may have other projects. It makes sense...but bloody hell that requires so much preparation and such intensity.
It's just knowing what you want. Many movies nowadays don't seem to do that, they just over shoot stuff and throw it at the wall and sees what sticks and this results in indecisiveness which is lunacy when your movie costs 9 figures to make
I could watch them talk about this film for hours!
Hoyte Hoytema is a incredible man, every film he's been a part of is absolutely beautiful and I know Zimmer didn't create the score for Oppenheimer but the trio of Nolan, Zimmer and Hoyte is just about as elite as it gets in modern day cinema. Anything that has those 3 touch turns to gold.
Except now Göransson has kind of been a good substitute of Zimmer
Watched it in theatre on Friday and now I know why they are praising Cillian so much. He did a phenomenal job in his role. All the actors were at their bests, specially RDJ.
Can’t wait! Been a Cillian Murphy fan for a long time.
Potentially one of the best movies of all time
There are so many big starts but i never seen a movie with so many casts that i can recognize. It’s a great experience
Hearing RDJ talk here and his time at Marvel is a big change of mood. Nice to see him happy to be working.
It's time for Cilian to win an academy but Chris is also due for one.
I love this cast so much, I can't wait to watch them on the big screen
Just saw the movie and all I can say is that I am so lucky to be alive in the same time that this movie was released! It's so good. And I know this will be an important film of the century
I haven't been to the theater in a while, but my gosh I want to watch this one. I'm still recovering from COVID, my throat hurts like hell 😅 but the week after next, I am so going 😀
Saw the movie last night. I loved it! Cillian and Nolan will get nominated
How come? It is not yet released. You got to a premier? Just jealous ....
@@stephenconway2468 I get invited to free early screenings for Universal films. I review movies on a radio program. I went to the Brisbane , Queensland Premiere
Always happy to see these 4 main character excitedly talking together abt their respective parts in the grand movie & my most favourite actor ,Cillian Murphy seems so happy here😍❤❤❤
This moment has been a long time coming, I just absolutely adore Cillian and I want this movie to do well! This was a fun interview :)
What a cast. All smart, creative, empathetic, curious people ✨️
My favorite movie from this year definitely. You can see how proud they are of it. Interesting to know that Matt was up for playing Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight
This interview was amazing
I can't wait to see this film, whenever directors put their all into their projects it makes me want to see it 100x more
This man cannot take a compliment to save his life! This makes him even more unintentionally amazing! ❤❤❤
It's impressive - to see such amazing people diligently working on something for several years, and now we have the chance to absorb 3 hours of this perfect content...
Really love this interview because the passion that they all have as artists is so well expressed and the interviewer does so well in guiding and pacing the conversation! Could watch them talk about this movie for hours🤩
So much insight this is what i wanna see on an movie interview!! They relax, talking like they're having dinner together, love ittt ❤
Can't wait to see this, great cast, excellent interview, bring it on!
love to see cillian murphy interview! once in a while and other casts they're amazing
Wouldn't be surprised if this film won best picture and best director, along with some actor awards, sound, ost, production design
My best guess is that it’ll win Best Actor, Best Supporting for Downey, Adapted Script, Cinematography, and Editing
Man! Cillian Murphy was born for both Thomas Shelby and Oppenheimer 🥳👍 not many actor's got the role that they were born to portray but cillan rdj and Henry Cavill are some exceptions no word's
Cillian coming for the oscar ❤
Great interview with great questions... Can't wait to see the movie!
I really do hope that present filmmakers and up and coming potential filmmakers will pay attention to this film and Nolan's philosophy and process. That the "old fashion" non-reliance on modern digital technologies has powerful effect and not just a marketing strategy or gimmick.
Seems like with the things RDJ, Emily, and Matt said about Cillian showed how much deserving he is for awards ✨
1:23. I like how both Emily and Robert point to Cillian automatically 😂😂😂😂
Cilian deserves an Oscar for best male actor in this movie.
I came back from the theatres today and I really enjoyed Oppenheimer. Another great Christopher Nolan film as the story was amazing, moving and so well written. Nolan knows how to reach out to the audience and touch their hearts as he has been doing that for so many years in his films as makes movies for the theatres on a big scale with that impact that moves us and makes us dizzy, makes us scratch our heads and think which I loved about his work😄. For me the movie was a little too long and a little dragged but overall it was really really good. The whole cast was fantastic including Cillian Murphy, RDJ, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and the great Gary Oldman. Cillian was brilliant as “J Robert Oppenheimer” and I loved what he brought to the character as the way he saw how the nuclear bomb can affect humanity/nature was so well shown. The way the film was made was great as I loved the black and white affect. It was just a great movie😁❤️
Cillian is absolutely brilliant!! He’s so well spoken. I could look and listen to him all day! Class act for sure!!
this interview was just what i needed before opening weekend. come 👏🏻 on 👏🏻 friday.
Cant wait to see it sounds like the director gave all the actors space and time to nail down their rolls its going to be very interesting to see it this weekend !
Cillian, RDJ, Nolan for screenplay should definitely get Oscars, it would be criminal otherwise.
Yes
It's so refreshing to hear such interesting, articulate opinions and insights from the actors. Unlike so many movies today. Really enjoyed this interview
This will be great , its not only a movie but piece of history
RDJ keeps talking about how freeing it feels to act with Nolan, how there's no marks on the ground to hit during a scene, how he can improv mid scene and go back to scirpt whenever he feels like and so on. Poor guy was probably being held at gun point during Iron Man scenes where he couldn't move an inch sideways otherwise it would mess up the CGI
Saw the movie yesterday, brilliant. Going again on Tuesday, the movie kept you so involved. 3 hours may put some from going, it kept at a great pace. Up there with the great movies I've seen
This group seems to have great chemistry..i enjoy very much their interviews!!✨🙏🙏❤🙏🙏✨
What an amazing group of people ❤️🔥
I like seeing Cillian give some flowers to the crew on the movie as well. a lot of the time with these interviews I feel like the impression given is that it's the director, the actors, maybe the cinematographer, and then it all just magically comes together, but the reality is a LOT of folks work hard on these movies, but we only hear from the ones who are kind of the frontpersons. so it's nice to see someone in the spotlight acknowledge the work behind the scenes.
I've been watching interviews with this cast and they're all cool and I've enjoyed them a lot, but I'm so glad I finally found one where the interviewer doesn't ask them about how the casting process was or what they felt when they got the call, because yes, that's an interesting question but when every single interview starts with that... well, it gets annoying.
Thank you!
So much talent in one room.
I hope that Cillian is at least nominated for Lead Actor at the Oscars.
any scene with RDJ in it was the best scene in the movie👌❤
excellent interview!
6:03 Not Rdj sitting up on the couch😂😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂
I don't think i have ever seen or heard a cast more in love and in awe of their director... ❤
The interviewer didn’t stop the flow. Let them talk.
Watched the movie today. Absolutely phenomenal.
Loved the movie, well done to the producer and actors. A story that needed to be told and hopefully humanity can learn from it.
RDJ can better explain Quantum physics as he made time machine😂
Nanotech iron suit also
you know it's a good interview when Cillian doesn't say "good question" 😆
En zo lief van robert dat hij zegt dat cill het zo goed en fantastische heeft gedaan dat hij dat nog nooit iemand heeft zien doen zo lief en cillian is ook echt een fantastische acteur ❤❤
When Radioactive Man and Fall Out Boy rose from the ashes from the "aftermath," I cheered loudly, even shed a few tears. Worth every dime. 👍😎
great conversation
Tickets booked! Genuinely can’t wait
It’s a great movie
@@samanthamansi1184 watched it last Sunday. Still haven’t stopped thinking about it. Masterpiece in storytelling & acting.
Honestly if Cillian doesnt win an oscar for this movie. Im calling it rigged. He so deserves it along with RDJ for supporting actor
True