Robert Downey Jr gushes over Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer performance

The Marvel superstar hailed Murphy's portrayal of Oppenheimer as "exceptional".

Anticipation is building ahead of the release of Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster Oppenheimer, in which Irish acting sensation Cillian Murphy undertakes the lead role of the infamous nuclear scientist. Nolan himself has recently claimed that viewers will leave theatres "devastated" and unable to speak upon seeing the film, with Marvel superstar Robert Downey Jr's latest comments only further fuelling the sense of expectancy from audiences. Appearing on the Armchair Expert podcast, Downey discussed his role in the film, and went out of his way to lavish praise upon Cork native Murphy. Host and fellow actor Dax Shepard opened the discussion on Murphy, recounting his own interactions with the Peaky Blinders lead; "Cillian, we interviewed him, we love him, what a great guy!" [caption id="attachment_776339" align="alignnone" width="640"] Murphy's performance has been hailed as "exceptional" by Downey. (Credit: Getty Images)[/caption] This prompted Downey to delve into his experience with Murphy on set, and recall how observing the Irishman left him in a sense of awe. "He is so beyond exceptional", exclaimed Downey. "What's really trippy is that there used to be a show on TV called 'Man, Moment, Machine' about when the right individual at a point in history came up with the right discovery, and I could say the same thing about Cillian Murphy". Discussing the unique connection evident between the storied director and Murphy, Downey said that;

"He is perfectly disposed to have the relationship with Chris Nolan, to have this opportunity come up, and to have the wherewithal, the gift and the intestinal fortitude to survive making it".

"We've been on some tough projects, but I have never seen anybody have a bigger lift in the history of my career than Cillian Murphy playing Oppenheimer". So, as if we didn't have reason enough to see the historical thriller, this high praise from one of Hollywood's biggest names has only increased our want to see what sort of cinematic masterpiece Christopher Nolan has conjured for viewers this time around. The movie is set to release in Ireland in just under a months time, on July 21st, setting up a box office battle with Barbie which comes out on the same date. Related Articles:

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