Christopher Nolan calls Cillian Murphy “one of the best actors of all time”
Christopher Nolan, the director of the upcoming Oppenheimer movie, has come out to say that the lead star of the film, Cillian Murphy, is “one of the best actors of all time”.
Speaking about the star of Peaky Blinders and 28 Days Later in an interview with Total Film, Nolan stated, “I’ve always known since I first met him – however many years ago it is now, almost 20 years – that he is one of the great actors, not just of his generation, but of all time”. A massive fan of the Irish actor, Nolan has worked with the star on five previous occasions, collaborating on the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and Dunkirk.
Now, Murphy will be taking the lead role of the atom bomb creator J. Robert Oppenheimer, appearing in a stellar ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, Josh Hartnett and Kenneth Branagh.
Though he has worked with Murphy before, Nolan has never trusted him with a starring role until now. “I’ve been waiting for the project,” the director further explained: “I know he has too, where we can collaborate with him as the lead, and I could put the most enormous weight – cinematic weight – on his shoulders, and watch him carry that burden…”It was such a thrill to be able to call Cillian, and say, ‘This is it’”.
After praising Murphy, Nolan moved on to his co-star, further telling the publication, “We all know that Robert Downey Jr. is one of the great movie stars…It’s so easy to forget that he’s also one of the greatest actors of all time”.
Arriving in cinemas on July 21th, 2023, take a look at the brand-new trailer for Oppenheimer below.
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