Jack Quaid Was 'Starstruck' Watching Christopher Nolan Work On Oppenheimer

The clock is ticking until Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" (and Greta Gerwig's "Barbie") releases in theaters this July, and reaffirms to the culture that "movies are back!" These are the two biggest blockbusters of the year, mostly due to the fact that it seems that most of the film industry has been sucked into at least one of the two huge ensemble casts. If you're a fresh, young face in Hollywood, you're either in "Barbie," or "Oppenheimer." Ncuti Gatwa and Emma Mackey? "Barbie." Florence Pugh and Alden Ehrenreich? "Oppenheimer."

Team "Oppenheimer" might not have Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, but they do have Jack Quaid, and whichever side you're on, I think we can all agree that his enthusiasm as a genuine fan of the projects he chooses to work on is particularly infectious.

As the son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, Jack Quaid is practically Hollywood royalty. He made his feature film debut in "The Hunger Games" at 19, some of us nerds know him as the voice of Boimler on "Star Trek: Lower Decks," and thanks to his loveable turn as Hughie on mega-popular superhero satire "The Boys," Quaid is riding a career-high.

But for as popular as he gets, he never forgets his nerdy roots. Last year, during Quaid's GQ interview for season 3 of "The Boys," he was more than happy to share his thoughts on working with Christopher Nolan for the very first time. As a fan of his past films, life on a Nolan set was a mind-blowing experience.

"The way that he chooses to shoot scenes, he's so absolutely confident in the way that he works," Quaid said. "He doesn't need to over-cover everything. He just knows that, okay, this scene is going to be two shots when I edit it together, I'm just going to film two setups. I was so blown away by that confidence."

This was a surprising tidbit of information. There's the stereotype of the demanding director, which evokes thoughts of directors such as David Fincher or Alfred Hitchcock, those who revel in repetition and getting their takes just right. It would be easy to assume Nolan would be one of them. But considering the director's heavy use of practical and digital effects, it's easy to see why he would be a post-production-minded director who knows exactly what he needs on set.

For Quaid, it was a challenge not to fanboy as Nolan directed him and his fellow co-stars on set. "Just to be able to see Christopher Nolan doing what he does right in front of my eyes ..." Quaid added, "I got kind of starstruck, especially when he would do the 'director's point', that framing thing [director's do] with their hands. I was pinching myself every single day."

In true Christopher Nolan tradition, not much is actually known about the plot of "Oppenheimer," but Quaid is currently credited on IMDb as scientist Richard Feynman, a theoretical physicist who worked closely with J. Robert Oppenheimer in real life. With a stacked cast of A-list talent, it's hard to know who will get their fair share of screen time, but Quaid just seems to be thrilled to be there, and that's enough for the young actor.

"Oppenheimer" opens in theaters on July 21, 2023.