‘Oppenheimer’: Christopher Nolan on Why Cillian Murphy Was His Only Choice to Star (Exclusive)

Summer movie season is upon us, and director Christopher Nolan has one of the most anticipated new films set to hit theaters, “Oppenheimer.”

The epic thriller, which features an A-list cast, tells the story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. Prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Nolan sat down with “Extra’s” Tommy DiDario to talk about making “Oppenheimer” and what drew him to the project.

“Oppenheimer’s story is one that I've been interested in for, for quite some time,”  Nolan said. “I really got hooked by learning about the moment at which the members of the Manhattan Project, which he was leading, realized that there was a very, very small possibility that when they triggered the very first atomic device, it might set fire to the atmosphere and cause a chain reaction that would destroy the entire world. And yet they had to go ahead and push that button. And I thought if you could make a film where you take the audience into that room and you see them make that decision and you're there with them for those events, that that would be the most extraordinarily dramatic situation.”

Christopher also discussed writing the movie with actor Cillian Murphy in mind. and raved about his “remarkable” performance.

“Cillian Murphy is one of the great actors of his generation. And I was very fortunate to start working with him early in his career. I wanted an actor who could carry the audience with him so that you see the events of Oppenheimer's life through his eyes and rather than sort of judging him, you're kind of experiencing things with him. And Cillian has that incredible empathetic ability, that ability to just draw an audience into what he's thinking and feeling the way all the great stars do.”

And “Oppenheimer” has no shortage of star power, featuring Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh and Kenneth Branagh.

“I mean, one of the most incredible ensembles I've ever been fortunate enough to work with,” Nolan noted. “There’s so many great actors in this movie. But that was really necessary because even though you're seeing the story really through Oppenheimer's point of view, you need this incredible supporting cast to bring to life the world of all of these years of his life through the incredible drama of the Manhattan Project and then everything that happens afterwards to him. That's not something that's as well-known to audiences, but it's pretty startling.”

Referring to the first-ever test of an atomic bomb, Nolan also spoke about shooting the movie’s powerful Trinity Test explosion moment, saying, “We knew that the Trinity Test would have to be the centerpiece of the film. It would have to be a real showstopper. It's this moment that they've been building towards for two years. All of this incredible effort, all of this money, all of these resources of all of America coming together in this moment.”

He continued, “And it was the first time this terrible destructive power had ever been witnessed. And so, we put a lot of time and effort into planning and figuring out how we could really convey the sense of excitement, of fear and anticipation, and everything that would have led up to and in that moment where nuclear fire was seen and unleashed in the world for the first time.”