Oppenheimer: Every Actor Who has Worked With Christopher Nolan More Than Once
The eagerly anticipated Christopher Nolan film Oppenheimer, based on the life of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer and starring Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr., was recently released, and as expected, both the critics and the audience responded favorably.
Devoted Nolan and Muprhy fans have praised the film as being Oscar-worthy and noted that the director did a fantastic job of bringing out the best in each actor, which is a mark of a great director. However, Nolan and Murphy had previously worked together on a film. Nolan has consistently been able to recast his favorite actors in his films. Who has worked with Christopher Nolan more than once? Let’s find out.
Read this: “It’s a real problem”: Matt Damon Had One Major Problem With Cillian Murphy In ‘Oppenheimer’
1. Kenneth Branagh
Actor Kenneth Branagh appeared in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk as Commander Bolton and then was again seen in Nolan’s Tenet as a Russian arms dealer and finally, in the recently released Oppenheimer, as Danish physicist Niels Bohr. The actor, when asked about the filmmaker, said in 2017, “Christopher Nolan is a director who I admire enormously. “
2. Michael Caine
The ace filmmaker has been associated with actor Michael Caine the most, as he has appeared in about eight Nolan movies, starting with Batman Begins,The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Inception,The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar, Dunkirk(an uncredited voice role), and Tenet.
When Caine was asked about his collaborations with Nolan, he said, “He’s wonderful. He’s quiet. He’s an example of what John Huston once said. If you were on the set as a visitor, you’d have to have someone tell you who the director is. Chris mingles in so much and he’s so quiet, you go, ‘Who the hell is directing this movie?’ And it’s that guy over there, and you better listen to what he says when he whispers.”
3. Cillian Murphy
The recent lead actor in Christopher Nolan’s movie, Cillian Murphy, has worked with the filmmaker more than once, starting with Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Dunkirk, and now Oppenheimer. However, it was the first time Nolan had cast Murphy in the lead role in his project and, when asked about his re-collaboration with Nolan, the Peaky Blinders actor said,
“The thing about re-collaboration is that it is about going straight to work and having a shorthand and a level of trust and that is what I have with Chris and I hope he has with me.”
4. Tom Conti
Actor Tom Conti, who appeared as Albert Einstein in the recently released Oppenheimer, has appeared as a prisoner who helps Bruce Wayne tend to his injuries in The Dark Knight Rises. Even though his character had a minor role in the movie, Nolan’s desire to work with Conti again cast him in the role of Einstein, who had a major influence on Oppenheimer’s life.
5. Tom Hardy
Venom actor Tom Hardy, who is regarded as one of the breakout stars of Inception, managed to impress Christopher Nolan, who decided to work with the actor once again in The Dark Knight Rises and later in Dunkirk.
When Hardy was asked about his experience working with Nolan, he said,” For me, it’s wonderful to meet someone who is completely in control of the elements and assets that he has available to him. He has a specific confidence that I’ve not met in another filmmaker.”
6. Matt Damon
Actor Matt Damon is one of the most talented actors in the industry who has managed to impress Christopher Nolan with his exceptional skills. He had the privilege of working with the filmmaker more than once. Damon has appeared in Interstellar and recently Oppenheimer, in which he plays American engineer Leslie Groves.
Matt Damon also expressed his willingness to work with Nolan as he shared, “I had been in ‘Interstellar,’ and then Chris put me on ice for a couple of movies, so I wasn’t in the rotation. But I actually negotiated in couples therapy — this is a true story — the one caveat to my taking time off was if Chris Nolan called.”
Christopher Nolan on his recurring collaborators
The filmmaker shared his thoughts on why he likes to collaborate with actors he has previously worked with, in addition to new actors, of course, in Michael Rabiger’s book Directing: Film and Aesthetics. Nolan said, “A big part of my job is making decisions about how all the great talent that I’m working with blends into a single consciousness.”
The Inception director, who describes himself as a sort of human lens through which everyone’s efforts are focused, says that he just wishes to bring the best of the talent in the industry to give them a platform and a story to put their best foot forward and make a successful movie.
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is out in cinemas.
