During an exclusive chat with Entertainment Weekly, director Christopher Nolan explained why he chose to write the script for Oppenheimer in first person and revealed that it was “the only time I’ve done that.”
While working on the screenplay for Oppenheimer, Nolan made the unusual choice to craft the script in first person, making all the events that happen within the storyline from the lead character, J. Robert Oppenheimer’s point of view.
When talking to EW, the filmmaker discussed his unexpected screenplay decision and explained why he chose to write the script in the first person.
The Interstellar director said, “In the case of this film, I wrote the script in the first person. It’s the only time I’ve done that.”
He added, “It made it clear to anyone who read the script that we’re on this ride with Oppenheimer.”
Star Cillian Murphy (who plays the title character in Nolan’s upcoming film) confessed he was surprised by the chosen format when he started reading the script.
Murphy said, “It took me a minute to actually comprehend, and then I realized, oh, that’s a huge responsibility.”
Cillian Murphy Noted That Oppenheimer “Sees Things in Sort of Different Dimensions”
Later, the Peaky Blinders star noted that Oppenheimer “sees things in sort of different dimensions. Physicists operate on a completely different level than we do, and I think sometimes it’s a burden. So I was really interested in that.”
Other members of the cast, such as Emily Blunt (who plays Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty) and Robert Downey Jr. (who plays Atomic Energy Commission chairman Lewis Strauss), also spoke about working on the film with the Dark Knight director.
Blunt said, “If Chris Nolan calls you and says that he’d like to meet with you, you’re like, I don’t care what it is.”
Downey added, “From the second I read the script, I knew that he [Nolan] had a very acute vision, and if he were able to render that vision that this film would be a masterpiece.”
Florence Pugh ( who plays Jean Tatlock, Oppenheimer’s love interest) also discussed her character in the film, describing her as “blunt, [knows] what she wants, but at no point is she ever punished for that, and especially not by Oppenheimer.”
Murphy added, “It’s a profoundly moving and overwhelming experience, watching it. You feel so compelled to watch what’s happening with these people and how they’re drawn into the biggest of moral dilemmas, and what they’re wrestling with, all of the characters.”
Previously, while discussing filming Oppenheimer for EW’s 2023 Summer Preview, Nolan stated, “The shoot was very sort of fast and furious and efficient. Hoyte [Van Hoytema, Nolan’s regular cinematographer] and myself — from the technical end — we kind of jumped back to an earlier point in both of our careers, where we had no Steadicam on set, we had no playback or monitors.”
He added, “We were approaching it in a very stripped-down manner which gave us a terrific energy. I think it gelled very well with the ensemble nature of the piece. Even though Oppenheimer is at the center of it, we had this incredible ensemble of actors bringing so much to the table, and we really wanted to be able to move fast, jump around, and capture anything that was going to get thrown up by that.”
Oppenheimer hits theaters on July 21st.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Hollywood News Click Here
