Two Sentences From Christopher Nolan Unlocked Oppenheimer For Cillian Murphy

Prior to July 21, 2023, you could've made a pretty solid case that Cillian Murphy is one of the most underrated actors working today. But now that Christoepher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" has mushroomed across the cinematic landscape, there can be no doubt: Murphy is a staggeringly talented performer who, at the age of 47, has barely scraped the surface of his immense potential. He's a mortal lock for a Best Actor nomination, and, though it's a tad too early to declare such things, certainly feels like this year's frontrunner.

I don't know why it took so long for Murphy to get his due. The man had a magnificent 2005 with the trio of Nolan's "Batman Begins," Wes Craven's "Red Eye" and Neil Jordan's "Breakfast on Pluto," but, for whatever reason, he struggled to build off these successes. After a memorable turn in Danny Boyle's "Sunshine," Murphy veered from one forgettable film to another. He's clearly a leading man, but it's possible he's too specific a type.

In any event, he was bang-on casting as theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, but getting in the right mindstate to play this enigmatic genius proved challenging. Fortunately, Murphy had made five films with Nolan, and implicitly trusted his direction — even when it verged on cryptic.

In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Murphy pulled back the curtain and explained how Nolan talks to actors. Unsurprisingly, the master who gave us "Inception" and "Interstellar" has a cerebral manner when giving performance adjustments.

Murphy apparently needed all the help he could get. As he told the BBC, "[I] was kind of struggling, it's a very, very complex moral journey that Oppenheimer goes on, you know? It's wild." So what did Nolan say? Per Murphy:

"[H]e used this phrase to me, he said, 'He's dancing between the raindrops.' And that kind of unlocked something in my mind about how to play him. And then in another scene I remember with – I think it was with Matt Damon – we were shooting, and I came in quite heavy in the scene. And I remember Chris pulled me aside and he said, 'Remember, he's not a boxer. He's a chess player.' And again, such a succinct but comprehensive note. And that's why he's a brilliant, brilliant director."

I don't know from dancing between the raindrops, but I do know I've rarely seen an actor make the process of thinking look more dynamic than Murphy. "Oppenheimer" is loaded with bravura performances, but Murphy's the primary reason I've seen the movie three times theatrically. He's brought one of the 20th century's most inscrutable figures to vibrant, if disconcerting life. My fourth viewing isn't far off.