Robert Downey Jr. On Cillian Murphy’s ‘Oppenheimer’ Role: ‘I’ve Never Witnessed A Greater Sacrifice By A Lead Actor In My Career’
25.07.2023 - 14:03
/ etcanada.com
Robert Downey Jr. was one of many Cillian Murphy fans impressed by his “Oppenheimer” performance.
Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer in the film about the American scientist’s role in the development of the atomic bomb.
Downey Jr. — who plays Atomic Energy Commission chairman Lewis Strauss in the much-talked about movie — told People of his co-star, “I have never witnessed a greater sacrifice by a lead actor in my career.”
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The “Avengers” star said he was impressed by Murphy’s “commitment” to the Christopher Nolan-directed film.
Downey Jr. continued, “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.
“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.”
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Florence Pugh — who plays Jean Tatlock — also gushed about Murphy’s performance in the flick.
“Chris had one of the most incredible leads in Cillian,” she told the mag. “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,” Pugh went on. “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