Before His Massive $10M Salary That Eclipsed Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer Lead Cillian Murphy Was Ridiculously Underpaid in Peaky Blinders Despite Show’s Global Popularity
Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer is earning plenty of plaudits and helping Oppenheimer fight Barbie Mania at the box office.
Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller feature has a huge star cast, with the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, and Florence Pugh all playing crucial historical figures that one way or another influenced Oppenheimer’s work and life. But the spotlight, throughout the movie, remains on Murphy.
The Inception director went as far as writing his script in the first person for the first time in his directorial career because he wanted each character to be on the ride with the complex theoretical physicist and help elevate his aura.
How Much Cillian Murphy Was Paid for Oppenheimer
Cillian Murphy was certainly given a huge responsibility by the genius filmmaker and had to go the extra mile to prepare for the role.
To mirror the real-life Oppenheimer, the 47-year-old had to follow a strict diet to look a bit skinny. He also dived into books like American Prometheus: Triumph and Tragedy of a Genius and the Hindu sacred text Bhagavad Gita.
Accordingly, for his hard work and importance to the movie, the acclaimed actor was paid pretty well, with reports suggesting a fee as high as $10 million was handed to him. In comparison, superstar Robert Downey Jr. bagged less than half: $4 Million.
Although Murphy is mostly known for playing supporting roles like Scarecrow in The Dark Knight and Fisher in Inception, Oppenheimer isn’t his first leading role.
In fact, he has headlined one of Netflix’s most popular shows, Peaky Blinders, for six seasons. The only difference is, he wasn’t valued as much by the hierarchy of that show as he has been by Nolan for the much-popular biopic.
How Much Cillian Murphy Earned From Peaky Blinders
The Irish actor leads a gangster family in England in the 1900s in his role as Tommy Shelby in Netflix’s British period drama. His fierce character and his trademark look that included a three-piece suit and a peaked cap was – and still is – hugely revered by the fans of the show.
Murphy earned plenty of nominations and awards for his work, including four nominations for Best Actor in a Lead Role at IFTA Award. But as far as the financial side of things is concerned, he made little from the famous Netflix show.
There aren’t any official figures, but as per various sources, the Oppenheimer protagonist made as little as $100K per episode, and he only saw a significant pay rise – seven digits – in the last three seasons.
If these suggestions are correct, it won’t be an overstatement to say that the brilliant actor was grossly underpaid for his popular and much-loved show. He’ll hope things change after the success of his latest film!
Source: The Things
