Christopher Nolan discusses his first filmed sex scenes
Sex scenes were never really imperative to the movies that Christopher Nolan was making. Whether it was the mainstream superhero popcorn films of The Dark Knight trilogy or the mind-bending mysteries of Memento and The Prestige, romance was usually a topic that took a backseat in Nolan’s films.
That would remain true up to 2023, the moment when Nolan decided that carnal knowledge was an important part of telling the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer became the first Nolan film to feature nudity and sex scenes, something that could have been considered inconceivable just a few short years ago. ut in Nolan’s mind, there was nothing particularly lascivious about including sex scenes in Oppenheimer.
“Well, when you look at Oppenheimer’s life and you look at his story, that aspect of his life, the aspect of his sexuality, his way with women, the charm that he exuded, it’s an essential part of his story,” Nolan told Insider before the film’s release. “His very intense relationship with Jean Tatlock, played by Florence Pugh, is one of the most important things in his life.”
“But not least for the fact that Jean Tatlock was very explicitly a Communist and his obsession with her therefore had enormous ramifications for his later life and his ultimate fate,” Nolan added. “So it felt very important to understand their relationship and to really see inside it and understand what made it tick without being coy or allusive about it, but to try to be intimate, to try and be in there with him and fully understand the relationship that was so important to him.”
Nolan wasn’t particularly worried about including the more explicit scenes in Oppenheimer. He was aware of the fact that audiences didn’t necessarily associate him with gratuitous sex or even subtle sexuality. But in Nolan’s mind, the embrace of sexuality on screen was part of the challenge of bringing Oppenheimer’s story to the big screen.
“I mean, I think any time you’re challenging yourself to work in areas you haven’t worked in before, you should be appropriately nervous and appropriately careful and planned and prepared,” Nolan said. “And I was very fortunate to be working with just a couple of actors who are at the absolute top of their game. I’ve worked with Cillian for 20 years and he’s one of the greats. And we have a comfortable ease with communication. And then working for the first time with Florence Pugh, who is someone I’ve been wanting to work with, I met with her and immediately felt a creative connection.”
“I felt this is somebody who could bring Jean Tatlock to life and have the audience understand the significance of this figure in Oppenheimer’s life,” he concluded. “And she was just fantastic to work with. That helped enormously, to have just two great respectful professionals. But with massive talent and spontaneity and emotional truth, that’s all you can really ask for as a director and it makes my job a lot easier.”
Check out the trailer for Oppenheimer down below.
