"He also had the humility that is required to survive playing a role like this"- Robert Downey Jr. on Cillian Murphy's portrayal in Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer's great reception and brilliant box office numbers have proven that this is yet another of Christopher Nolan's successful films. With the film out now, there is little doubt that this is the career-best work of many people involved in this film, including lead actor Cillian Murphy, who plays the role of Robert J. Oppenheimer.

Murphy's magnanimous talent was never in doubt, especially with his portrayal of Tommy Shelby in the critically acclaimed show Peaky Blinders, but Oppenheimer is a special one, both as a career milestone and as something the actor has achieved that few others could. The portrayal has been constantly gaining praise from critics since the first previews.

Moreover, Murphy's contemporaries and co-actors were also all praise for this terrific performance that is sure to win Cillian Murphy some big accolades. Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. was among the actors who were impressed by Murphy's great portrayal and highlighted the same in an interview with People.

Robert Downey Jr. said:

"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."

Other co-stars like Florence Pugh and Matt Damon also voiced their opinions about Murphy in the interview with People.

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Matt Damon and Florence Pugh open up about Cillian Murphy's Oppenheimer role

Oppenheimer was shot over a period of 57 days, making it one of Nolan's quickest film shoots. However, what Murphy had to carry during this duration was beyond what many actors can imagine.

According to reports, during their 57-day stay in the same hotel, Murphy stayed aloof throughout the duration, focusing on his craft and not losing his focus. He also reportedly never joined the rest of the cast for dinner.

Matt Damon spoke about this saying:

"Of course he didn’t want to come and have dinner with us,...He couldn’t. His brain was just too full....You know that when you have those big roles, that responsibility, you feel it’s kind of overwhelming."

Florence Pugh, another Oppenheimer star, also elaborated on the experience of working with Cillian Murphy, saying:

"Chris had one of the most incredible leads in Cillian...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....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 the greats."

Of course, this abundance of effort from Murphy paid off, and Oppenheimer is already being considered one of the modern great cinemas. It will hopefully also land Murphy some big accolades in another year.

Oppenheimer is now playing in theaters.