Oppenheimer’s Robert Downey Jr praises Cillian Murphy's ‘great sacrifice’ for blockbuster
Cillian Murphy's outstanding performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer may have garnered groundbreaking box office numbers but it has also earned him heaps of praise from his co-star Robert Downey Jr.
Oppenheimer: Official trailer (2023)
Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer has smashed official box office numbers thanks to the talented cast but one actor in particular has sung Cillian Murphy's praises regarding his dedication to the movie.
Cillian plays the titular character in the hit film as J. Robert Oppenheimer, who was the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory where he played a critical role in the development of the first atomic bomb.
The bomb in question later ended up being the explosive that was dropped on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, bringing an end to World War II in 1945.
Robert Downey Jr. plays Lewis Strauss, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, who was not the biggest fan of Oppenheimer.
While Robert's character can't stand Cillian's character in front of the camera, off-screen it's a completely different story.
Speaking to PEOPLE earlier this week, Robert admitted that he has "never witnessed a greater sacrifice by a lead actor" in his career, referring to the Peaky Blinders star.
"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 said.
Before revealing: "We'd be like, 'Hey, we got a three-day weekend. Maybe we'll go antiquing in Santa Fe. What are you going to do?' 'Oh, I have to learn 30,000 words of Dutch. Have a nice time.' But that's the nature of the ask."
Florence Pugh, who plays Oppenheimer's lover Jean Tatlock, further commended the actor on his dedication to the role.
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"Chris had one of the most incredible leads in Cillian. He is an actor that I have been watching for quite some time and have been desperate to work with for ages," she also told the outlet.
"You’d have to be mad to say no. It was truly one of the best experiences that I’ve had," Florence continued.
The actress also said that working with Cillian "was hugely impressive" as he would show up "every single day" and come up with incredible ways "to bring this character to life".
"There's a reason why he is one of the greats," she added.
The star-studded cast who feature alongside Cillian includes the likes of Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Alden Ehrenreich, Jason Clarke, Tony Goldwyn, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Hartnett, Matthew Modine, Dane DeHaan, Josh Peck, Jack Quaid, Rami Malek, Olivia Thirlby, Casey Affleck, James Remar, and Gary Oldman.
In its opening weekend, Oppenheimer took in an eyewatering $82.5 million but fell short when going up against Barbie's massive $162 million debut weekend.
The film has also been a critical hit as well, opening with a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes with some hinting it's an early front-runner for the Best Picture Oscar.
Oppenheimer is available to watch in theatres now.
