Oppenheimerstar Cillian Murphy shares a unique reflection on his career after taking home an Oscar for his role in the Christopher Nolan film. Hitting theaters last year and serving as one half of the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon alongside Greta Gerwig’sBarbie, Nolan’s biopic of American theoretical physicist and atomic bomb architect J. Robert Oppenheimer was a massive success both critically and commercially.Oppenheimerreviewswere glowing, and Murphy, who had previously starred mostly in smaller movies or in supporting roles, was a major point of praise.
In a recent interview withAssociated Pressahead of the release of his new film,Small Things Like These, Murphy reflects on what it was like to win an Oscar for his role inOppenheimer. The actor calls the experience “humbling,” while also celebrating one added bonus of becoming an Oscar-winner:it can help smaller movies get made. Check out Murphy’s comment below when asked if his Oscar win putSmall Things Like Theseon the radar for U.S. distributors:
“I’m not aware of it, really, because it feels so brand new and so fresh. You know, it’s very hard to kind of speak about it becauseit was a hugely humbling and almost passive experience, because you don’t really have any control over other people votingon the work that you did. But if it allows us to tell the sorts of stories that I’d like to tell, which have a point of view, which have something to say, then I’ll take it.”
What Murphy’s Oppenheimer Oscar Win Means For His Upcoming Films
The Actor Has Some Exciting Projects Coming Up
Prior toOppenheimer,Murphy had appeared in plenty of popular films, but he often wasn’t the lead. He starred as a villain inRed Eye(2005), for example, an underrated Wes Craven horror, and he also appeared in a number of Nolan’s earlier films, including as Scarecrow in all threeDark Knightmovies. His most notable leading feature film roles prior to 2023 were probably both in Danny Boyle movies: Jim in28 Days Later(2002) and Robert Capa inSunshine(2007). He also, of course, starred in thePeaky BlindersTV show.
10 Harsh Realties Of Rewatching Oppenheimer, 1 Year Later
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer combined box office success with awards-season glory, but there are still some issues which stand out a year later.
Murphy’s Oscar win means that he could end up headlining more films moving forward. He’s set to reprise his role as Tommy Shelby for aPeaky Blindersmoviefor Netflix, which is sure to massively benefit fromOppenheimer’s success.Small Things Like Thesereviewshave thus far been very positive from critics, and the film currently enjoys a 90% onRotten Tomatoes.Murphy’s Oscar win is also sure to benefit Boyle’s28 Years Later, in which he reprises his role as Jim.
28 Years Laterwill serve as the first installment in a new trilogy of films written by28 Days Laterscribe Alex Garland, but it’s not clear if Murphy will appear in all three of these movies or just the first.
Our Take On Murphy’s Post-Oppenheimer Career
Murphy Isn’t A Traditional Hollywood Movie Star
Murphy, it seems, is content to continue starring in smaller, more auteur-driven projects, speaking to his love of filmmaking and storytelling. ThoughOppenheimerwas a massive hit, it doesn’t seem like Murphy will be making the jump to more leading man roles in traditional Hollywood blockbusters, ashis career thus far suggests that popcorn entertainment isn’t really what he’s interested in. If he can leverage hisOppenheimerrole to get projects off the ground that would otherwise struggle, it’s clear that there are plenty of exciting Murphy roles still to come.
Oppenheimer
Cast
Oppenheimer is a film by Christopher Nolan, which follows the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy will play the titular role, with the story based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.
