Cillian Murphy reveals he was “desperate” to play the lead in a Christopher Nolan movie

Their new movie will be the sixth collaboration between the actor and the director.

Actor Cillian Murphy and writer/director Christopher Nolan have previously worked together on The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception and Dunkirk, but their new collaboration Oppenheimer represents the first time that Murphy takes the lead role in one of Nolan's movies. And in a recent chat with the Associated Press, Murphy reveals that he was craving that leading role: "I have always said publicly and privately, to Chris, that if I’m available and you want me to be in a movie, I’m there. I don’t really care about the size of the part. But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him." Chatting about how Nolan initially offered him the role, Murphy said:

"He’s so understated and self-deprecating and, in his very English manner, just said, ‘Listen, I’ve written this script, it’s about Oppenheimer. I’d like you to be my Oppenheimer'. It was a great day… We have this long-standing understanding and trust and shorthand and respect. It felt like the right time to take on a bigger responsibility. And it just so happened that it was a huge one."

Cillian Murphy on his excitement for Oppenheimer

When asked about making this movie in particular, and what audiences should expect from the movie, Murphy revealed the following:

"You realise this is a huge responsibility. He was complicated and contradictory and so iconic,” Murphy said of the character. “But you know you’re with one of the great directors of all time. I felt confident going into it with Chris. He’s had a profound impact on my life, creatively and professionally. He’s offered me very interesting roles and I’ve found all of them really challenging. And I just love being on his sets.

“The question will be how Chris presents it. I think people will be very surprised and wowed by what he does. Anything I say will just seem a bit lame as compared to seeing this in an IMAX theatre."

In the movie, Cillian Murphy portrays theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Murphy), the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during the Manhattan Project, and his contributions that led to the creation of the atomic bomb. He'll be joined by an incredible cast list including Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, and Kenneth Branagh. Oppenheimer arrives in Irish cinemas on Friday 21 July, the exact same day as Barbie, making for one of the greatest big screen showdowns in recent years.

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