'Oppenheimer' Cast Admits Cillian Murphy's Piercing Blue Eyes Left Them Distracted While Filming

Jul 26, 2023 by apost team

Christopher Nolan is a prestigious filmmaker recognized for his many contributions to the entertainment and arts. The 52-year-old fell in love with movie-making as a kid, particularly through the works of Ridley Scott, George Lucas in "Star Wars" and Stanley Kubrick in "2001: A Space Odyssey." Nolan was more interested in how movies were made as a kid. 

At 7, he started shooting short films with a camera he borrowed from his dad, a creative director in an advertising firm, and started working with Adrien and Roko Belic when he was a teenager. Nolan co-directed "Tarantella" with Roko in 1989 when he was 19. He continued to make films through his time in college and eventually landed a breakthrough with "Memento." The movie's success established his prowess in the industry, and Nolan has since gone on to make blockbusters, including "Interstellar," "The Dark Knight Rises," and his latest "Oppenheimer." 

"Oppenheimer," tells the story of American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who played a pivotal role in inventing the first nuclear weapons under the aegis of the Manhattan Project and is often regarded as the "father of the atomic bomb." "Oppenheimer" opened to great public anticipation and was critically acclaimed upon its release. 

The movie stars Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer, Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer's wife, Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer, and Matt Damon as General Leslie Groves, Oppenheimer's military handler. Other renowned actors in the widely acclaimed movie include Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh.

Following the flick's release, Cillian Murphy and two of his co-stars had an interview with PEOPLE. In the interview, published on July 21, 2023, Murphy's co-stars revealed how they were distracted on the set because of his piercing blue eyes. Continue reading to get the details of their conversation. 

Cillian Murphy is an Irish actor who developed an interest in acting in secondary school after participating in a drama module presented by Pat Kiernan, director of the Corcadorca Theatre Company. Murphy tried his hands at music in his late teens and early 20s, joining different bands to pursue what he felt was his calling. The actor also studied law at University College Cork (UCC) but realized his interests lay elsewhere. 

Murphy began to utilize his acting talents when he joined UCC's Drama Society and landed the lead role in a novice production of "Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme." His acting career began in earnest with a professional stage production of Enda Walsh's "Disco Pigs," where he took on the role of a volatile teenager. During his time on the show, he couldn't attend university or join his band as the "Disco Pigs" went on tour for two years against the intended three weeks originally planned for. 

Murphy also took part in many stage productions, including Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," "The Country Boy" and "Juno and the Paycock." He also appeared in a movie adaptation of "Disco Pigs," where he played Pig. The 47-year-old moved to films in 1997 and has since appeared in films like "28 Days Later," "Inception, "A Quiet Place," and the TV series, "Peaky Blinders," which helped launch his career further. 

Murphy first met Nolan in 2003 when he auditioned for the lead role in the "Dark Knight" series. Although he didn't get the part, the duo began to work together in 2005 with the same series where Murphy played the corrupt Dr. Crane/Scarecrow. Since then, the pair have worked together on several films, including "Inception" and "Dunkirk."

apost.com

Murphy had always wanted to play the lead in one of Nolan's movies, and his dream came true in October 2021 when the director offered him the lead role in "Oppenheimer." Nolan told The Hollywood Reporter that he picked Murphy after seeing Oppenheimer's biography.

"I've been staring at the cover of the book 'American Prometheus for so many months, and there's this photograph, black and white, a light blue-eyed stare, very intense, of this guy," Nolan disclosed. And I thought, 'Well, I know who could do that.'" 

Murphy and two of his co-stars, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, also had a group interview with PEOPLE in a post published on July 21, 2023, where they shared their thoughts about filming. During their discussion, Damon and Blunt mentioned how Murphy's piercing blue eyes often made them lose concentration while filming. 

"It's a real problem when you're doing scene work with Cillian," Damon shared. "Sometimes you find yourself just swimming in his eyes."

Blunt also agreed with Damon's assessment. She quipped, "It's like that 'Ocean Eyes' song by Billie Eilish. We just hum it all day."

Murphy, however, protested to the outlet, "They're not even that blue!"

Blunt also shared how filming the movie impacted Murphy. 

"We were all in the same hotel in the middle of the New Mexican desert," she recounted. "We only had each other. Me and Matt were roommates, and we were like, 'Let's go to have dinner.'"

Blunt revealed that Murphy constantly declined because he felt the weight of playing Oppenheimer. 

"The sheer volume of what he had to take on, and shoulder is so monumental," the actress explained. 

Murphy agreed with his castmates, saying:

"You know that when you have those big roles, that responsibility, you feel it's kind of overwhelming."

Have you watched any of Cillian Murphy's movies? Which one is your favorite? Have you watched "Oppenheimer?" Did you notice Murphy's blue eyes? Let us know — like and pass this article to friends, family, and fans of "Oppenheimer."