Cillian Murphy’s decades-long collaboration with Christopher Nolan hit a new peak with “Oppenheimer,” his first leading role in a Nolan feature that has garnered him the best reviews of his career and Oscar buzz for best actor. “Oppenheimer” follows Murphy’s supporting turns in three Batman films, “Inception” and “Interstellar.” Recently asked by The Independent if there were any Nolan movies not featuring Murphy that he wished he could’ve starred in, Murphy selected the director’s 2014 space epic “Interstellar.”
“I adore ‘Interstellar’ just because I find it so emotional,” Murphy said. “I remember seeing it in the cinema when I had little kids. It just had a big impact on me. It broke my heart. I love watching his films when I’m not in them because you don’t have to freak out about the size of your ears, or whatever.”
Murphy stressed that Nolan cast the “right people” in “Interstellar,” so there’s no hard feelings that he missed out on it. The epic stars Matthew McConaughey as an ex-NASA pilot who is recruited on a mission to locate a new planet outside of the solar system that can support human life. Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Matt Damon and Michael Caine had supporting roles in the film.
The Independent also asked Murphy which Nolan movie he’d pair with “Oppenheimer” for a double feature.
“You could go ‘Interstellar,’ which is very… explores similar scientific, physic themes. Or you could watch ‘Dunkirk,’ which is also set in World War II,” Murphy said. “‘Dunkirk’ is shorter, so that might be a good match ‘cause it’s like an hour-and-a-half, and then you can go into [‘Oppenheimer’].”
Despite being a talky biographical drama that runs three hours and is rated R, “Oppenheimer” has already surpassed the lifetime domestic box office totals of “Interstellar” and “Dunkirk.” The film has earned $264 million in the U.S. and Canada, while its global gross is about to cross the $650 million mark. “Oppenheimer” is now playing in theaters nationwide.