Cillian Murphy was “desperate” to lead a Christopher Nolan film before Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan definitely enjoys working with familiar faces—just ask Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, or one Cillian Murphy. The latter actor appeared in all three films of The Dark Knight trilogy, in Inception, and Dunkirk. But the upcoming Oppenheimer, in which Murphy plays the titular role, will be his first time as Nolan’s leading man.

“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,” Murphy recently told The Associated Press. “But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him.”

“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,” the Peaky Blinders star recalled of Nolan offering him the part. “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.”

As for why it took so long to put Murphy in the driver’s seat, Nolan himself told Total Film (via Far Out Magazine), “I’ve been waiting for the project. 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.’”

The filmmaker added, “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”.

Murphy had similar praise for his director, noting the “huge responsibility” of playing the father of the atomic bomb. “But you know you’re with one of the great directors of all time. I felt confident going into it with Chris,” he told the AP. “He’s had a profound impact on my life, creatively and professionally. He’s offered me very interesting roles over [sic] and I’ve found all of them really challenging. And I just love being on his sets.”

Murphy gushed that “Any actor would want to be on a Chris Nolan set,” but expressed particular pleasure at being on this one. “I’m really proud of the movie and I’m really proud of what Chris has achieved. This was, for sure, a special one, certainly because of the history with me and Chris. We were not walking around the set high fiving, but it did feel special,” he shared. “It’s an event every time he releases a film, and rightly so. Whether I’m in them or not, I always go to see his movies.”