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This list of things that Cillian Murphy ignored included joining the cast for dinner. According to Matt Damon, who plays General Leslie Groves in Christopher Nolan’s WWII epic, Murphy was so consumed by the magnitude of his role that he skipped the cast’s ensemble dinners. “His brain was just too full,” Damon told People magazine, explaining that Murphy’s commitment to the intense role left him little room for anything outside the work.
Emily Blunt, who played Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty, chimed in, acknowledging just how monumental Murphy’s workload was. “The sheer volume of what [Murphy] had to take on and shoulder is so monumental,” she said. “Of course, he didn’t want to come and have dinner with us.” Murphy, for his part, admitted to People that the weight of such a pivotal role felt overwhelming at times. “You know that when you have those big roles, that responsibility, you feel it’s kind of overwhelming,” he shared, underlining just how much Oppenheimer demanded of him.
Murphy’s commitment to the part came as no surprise to anyone who’s followed his long-standing collaboration with Nolan. “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,” Murphy said earlier this year. “But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him.” And when Oppenheimer came along, it felt like the perfect moment to take on a bigger responsibility.
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