Robert Downey Jr. says he has “never witnessed a greater sacrifice” by an actor than by Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.
The new biopic, which hit cinemas on Friday (July 21) stars Murphy as scientist and “father of the atomic bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer.
In an interview with People, his co-stars Downey Jr. and Florence Pugh lauded his commitment to the role.
The former said: “I have never witnessed a greater sacrifice by a lead actor in my career.
“He knew it was going to be a behemoth ask when Chris called him. But I think he also had the humility that is required to survive playing a role like this.
Downey Jr. added: “We’d be like, ‘Hey, we got a three-day weekend. Maybe we’ll go antiquing in Santa Fe. What are you going to do?’ ‘Oh, I have to learn 30,000 words of Dutch. Have a nice time.’ But that’s the nature of the ask.”
Speaking of Murphy, Pugh added: “Chris [Nolan] had one of the most incredible leads in Cillian.
“He is an actor that I have been watching for quite some time and have been desperate to work with for ages. You’d have to be mad to say no. It was truly one of the best experiences that I’ve had.
“Working with him was hugely impressive. Every single day he shows up knowing every single possible way, intonation, inflection of how to bring this character to life. That was hugely impressive to me. There’s a reason why he is one of the greats.”
Speaking to NME about preparing for the role, Murphy said: “I didn’t go out much. I didn’t socialise much, mainly because of the amount of work I had to do… I became so immersed in the role.”
In a five-star review of Oppenheimer, NME wrote: “Not just the definitive account of the man behind the atom bomb, Oppenheimer is a monumental achievement in grown-up filmmaking.
“For years, Nolan has been perfecting the art of the serious blockbuster – crafting smart, finely-tuned multiplex epics that demand attention; that can’t be watched anywhere other than in a cinema, uninterrupted, without distractions. But this, somehow, feels bigger.”