In Oppenheimer, director Christopher Nolan brings to the screen his most ambitious movie yet.
The blockbuster thriller delves deep into the character of J. Robert Oppenheimer – known as the father of the atomic bomb.
The physicist was chosen for the Manhattan Project, heading up a laboratory developing the secret weapon during World war Two.
It has epic drama, intense storytelling and of course, a stellar cast. So how do they feel to be a part of it?
STV’s Emma Cameron was lucky enough to go to the red carpet and meet the stars.
From the streets of Birmingham to the desert land of New Mexico, Cillian Murphy has played many memorable roles. But how does it feel to be sharing such an ambitious project with the rest of the world?
“I mean this is what we make it for”, he explained. “The film isn’t finished until the audiences watch it.”
The script is written in first person from the perspective of J. Robert Oppenheimer himself.
He is a complex character, and it is a complex story, so what does Murphy want viewers to take away from it?
“It’s not up to me, it’s up to the audiences and what the movie does”, he said. “It poses a lot of questions; it demands you to stay involved, and I think it rewards you.”
Oppenheimer is written and directed by Christopher Nolan and co-produced by his wife Emma Thomas.
For every character on the red carpet, it seems to have been an unmissable opportunity and a dream to bring Nolan’s vision to life.
But what motivated him to take on such a huge challenge?
“You know it’s really for me about story, wherever it comes from, whether its history, whether its fiction”, Nolan explained.
“When I looked at Oppenheimer’s story, I saw the most dramatic story I’ve ever encountered so I felt very driven to try and dive into that world and bring it to the screen.”
Matt Damon is amongst the star-studded cast playing the controversial role of General Leslie Groves.
Damon’s character may not have been the most likeable figure, but he assures us that his own Scottish heritage is of course, the best part!
On the film, his enthusiasm for documenting this moment in history shines through.
“It’s amazing that we spend any time thinking of anything other than this”, he said. “It’s such a big idea and has such implications for all our lives.”
But as Christopher Nolan explains to Emma, documenting the story of Oppenheimer was less about judging this complicated man and more about understanding him.
“We tried to jump in his head for a few hours and live as he did”, Nolan said. “But the film is definitely going to leave people with some unsettling questions.”
Taking on such a huge role was for Cillian Murphy, a big responsibility, but one he says may only come around a couple of times in your career.
“Any actor in the world would want to work for Chris but to play a lead”, he said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
For Murphy’s co-star Emily Blunt, she didn’t even have to look at the script to know it was going to be a yes: “That’s just what Chris attracts. People run to work with him, to do a scene or a moment or anything.”
‘Oppenheimer’ certainly has the Hollywood cast and legendary director to grasp the world’s attention but as Cillian Murphy puts it, the film isn’t finished until the audience watch it, and we truly can’t wait.
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