Cillian Murphy's Oppenheimer Look Was Inspired By A Classic Rock Star

Something a viewer might instantly note about Christopher Nolan's new hit biopic "Oppenheimer" is that the film's star, Cillian Murphy, doesn't look an awful lot like J. Robert Oppenheimer. Murphy has an intense gaze and a bird-like demeanor, carrying — in many of his roles — both a brisk openness and a mysterious threat. Oppenheimer himself, meanwhile, looked more like a beleaguered dad, a scientist who carefully thought about what he said. Eventually, in later interviews, he looked beaten down by the enormity of what he was asked to do. Murphy, an immensely talented actor, captured all the emotional beats correctly and even altered his physical mannerisms, but one would hardly confuse the two men should they be in the same room together.

Murphy has previously spoken about how he had been eagerly awaiting the phone call from Nolan, asking him to appear as a lead in one of the director's movies. Murphy had already worked with Nolan on several occasions in the past, but "Oppenheimer" was the first time the actor played one of his films' main characters.

When he finally landed the role, Murphy began doing research into Oppenheimer's physical look, his wardrobe, and his silhouette. The actor found that Oppenheimer was tall and thin — very thin, in fact — which evoked images of David Bowie in the 1970s. One might look at Nicolas Roeg's 1976 movie "The Man Who Fell to Earth" as the period when Bowie seemed to be at his thinnest. In the film, Bowie plays a space alien with pale skin and a bony bodily structure. That was about the time Bowie was releasing the albums "Diamond Dogs" and "Young Americans."

In an interview with Vulture, Murphy said that was the look he wanted.

Murphy was, of course, not referring to Bowie's notorious glam looks from the 1970s, but merely his figure at the time. Murphy recalled the way the stick-skinny Bowie wore a suit and felt that's the way J. Robert Oppenheimer ought to look, just aesthetically. "When he was so skinny and kind of emaciated but had these wonderful tailored suits with the trousers," the actor said. "That was the Oppenheimer silhouette."

Murphy certainly knows his suits and silhouettes; back in 2015, he was elected by GQ magazine as one of their 50 best-dressed men. He came in 14th. Murphy is famously private, rarely playing into the celebrity fame machine the same way a lot of Hollywood stars might, although he does still engage in the usual endorsement deal. Murphy is the spokesperson for Montblanc, an upscale manufacturer of high-end fountain pens, wallets, glasses cases, carry-on bags, and wristwatches. Sadly, Murphy has not signed any endorsement deals with whoever designed his hat in "Oppenheimer." That seems like a no-brainer.

Also a fun coincidence: Murphy has appeared in six of Christopher Nolan's movies to date: "Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight," "The Dark Knight Rises," "Dunkirk," "Inception," and now "Oppenheimer." He did not, however, appear in Nolan's magician drama "The Prestige," although who should've played Nikola Tesla in that movie but the man himself, David Bowie? Sadly, Murphy and Bowie likely never met in real life.

"Oppenheimer" is now playing in theaters.