Cillian Murphy may be one of Hollywood’s most bankable actors, but even he wishes he could have worked on some films. After eighteen years of collaborating and many box-office smash hits, Cillian Murphy finally got to lead a Christopher Nolan film. And lead he did - Cillian’s role as infamous scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Nolan’s 2023 film Oppenheimer was the actor’s most memorable and haunting performance to date.
The Independent recently interviewed the Batman Begins star, and they asked him if there were any other Nolan films Cillian wished he could have been in. “I adore Interstellar just because I find it so emotional,” Cillian said. “I remember seeing it in the cinema when I had little kids. It just had a big impact on me. It broke my heart. I love watching his films when I’m not in them because you don’t have to freak out about the size of your ears, or whatever.” Cillian emphasized that, just because he wished he was involved, doesn’t mean Nolan didn’t cast perfectly for his 2014 film.
The Irish actor has appeared in five other Nolan films, namely all installments of The Dark Knight trilogy, Dunkirk, and Inception. However, the actor is not just tied to Nolan as a director. Cillian has also appeared in A Quiet Place II, 28 Days Later and, of course, as the notorious Thomas Shelby in the BBC series Peaky Blinders. Oppenheimer is the actor’s biggest film role to date. Fellow star of the film and Iron Man himself Robert Downey Jr told People magazine,“I have never witnessed a greater sacrifice by a lead actor in my career.” Other A-List actors Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon have also praised Cillian’s “impressive” performance. Matt spoke with People about Cillian avoiding dinners with the cast after shooting, “Of course he didn’t want to come and have dinner with us. He couldn’t. His brain was just too full.”
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Cillian may wish he was involved in other Nolan films, but box office results and reviews suggest he should sit comfortably as the lead of Oppenheimer. Interstellar internationally grossed $773 million, but it’s looking like Cillian's 2023 film will overtake the Matthew McConaughey sci-fi epic in the coming weeks. Oppenheimer has reportedly raked in $654 million globally; not bad for a three hour film about science. On top of that, Nolan’s nuclear film has received a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it is his second most highly regarded film, narrowly behind The Dark Knight at 94%. Interstellar, on the other hand, is sitting on 73% on the film review website.
