Murphy previously compared Oppenheimer with his role as Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders because he sees the two characters as “contradictory characters”.
“I am interested in the man and in what [inventing the atomic bomb] done to the individual,” Murphy said The Observer. “The mechanics aren’t really for me – I don’t have the intellectual capacity to understand them, but these contradictory characters are fascinating.
“Tommy Shelby is also a complete contradiction. People identify with that, because we all walk around with these contradictory ideas coexisting in our heads.
Murphy is joined by Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty, and Matt Damon as Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves.
Read on for everything you need to know about Oppenheimer’s casting, including where you’ve seen the actors before and who they play.
Oppenheimer Cast: Who Stars in Christopher Nolan’s Movie Alongside Cillian Murphy?
The list of main actors is as follows:
- Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer
- Emily Bunt as Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer
- Matt Damon as Leslie Groves
- Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock
- Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss
- Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer
- Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence
- Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush
- Emma Dumont as Jackie Oppenheimer
- Benny Safdie as Edward Teller
Read on for everything you need to know about the cast and characters.
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer
Who is J. Robert Oppenheimer? A theoretical physicist who was the father of the atomic bomb during World War II.
What else has Cillian Murphy been in? Murphy is best known for his role as Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders. The Irish actor has also starred in films such as 28 Days Later, Cold Mountain, Red Eye and Breakfast on Pluto, as well as The Edge of Love, Inception, Dunkirk and The Dark Knight Rises.
Emily Bunt plays Katherine ‘Kitty’ Oppenheimer
Who is Kitty Oppenheimer? Wife of Robert Oppenheimer.
What else has Emily Blunt been into? The Golden Globe-winning actress is best known for her appearances in The Devil Wears Prada, Looper, The Young Victoria, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Into the Woods, Edge of Tomorrow and Mary Poppins Returns. More recently, she appeared in A silent placeand its sequel, Jungle Cruise, BBC drama The English and The Girl on the Train, for which she received a BAFTA nomination.
Matt Damon plays Leslie Groves
Who is Leslie Groves? A United States Army Lieutenant General who played a crucial role in the Manhattan Project alongside Oppenheimer.
What else has Matt Damon been into? You might recognize Damon from the Bourne franchise. He also dabbled in other real-life roles, including as Carroll Shelby in Ford v Ferrari and as James Granger in 2014’s The Monuments Men.
Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock
Who is John Tatlock? Member of the Communist Party of the United States and psychiatrist, who engaged in a romantic relationship with Robert Oppenheimer.
What else has Florence Pugh been in? Pugh has also starred in Little Women, Hawkeye, Fighting with my Family, Midsommar, don’t worry darling and The Wonder. More recently, she voiced the character of Goldilocks in the recent The sequel to Puss in Boots.
Robert Downey Jr plays Lewis Strauss
Who is Lewis Strauss? Lewis Strauss, a naval officer who served two terms on the United States Atomic Energy Commission.
What else has Robert Downey Jr. been in it? Downey is best known for starring as Tony Stark in 10 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with 2008’s Iron Man. Additionally, Downey Jr. starred as Sherlock Holmes in the Guy Ritchie and his retinue. He also appeared in Chaplin, Ally McBeal, Tropic Thunder.
Dylan Arnold plays Frank Oppenheimer
Who is Frank Oppenheimer? Oppenheimer’s younger brother. Frank was a professor of physics at the University of Colorado.
What else has Dylan Arnold been in? You might recognize the actor from his role as Cameron in the 2018 Halloween reboot and its sequel Halloween Kills. He also had a recurring role on the series finale of Nashville. Most recently, he appeared on You season 3 as student Dylan Arnold.
Josh Hartnett plays Ernest Lawrence
Who is Ernest Laurent? An American nuclear physicist. In 1939, he won the Nobel Prize for his invention of the cyclotron. He was also instrumental in Oppenheimer’s development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
What else has Josh Hartnett been in? Hartnett rose to fame in 1998 with a starring role in the Halloween franchise’s entry Halloween H20: 20 Years Later opposite Jamie Lee Curtis. His other film credits include The Faculty, Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down.
Matthew Modine plays Vannevar Bush
Who is Vannevar Bush? An electrical engineer who headed the Office of Scientific Research and Development.
What else has Matthew Modine been in? Modine rose to fame with his role as Marine Private/Sergeant JT Davis in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. He then starred in films such as Birdy, Married to the Mob and Short Cuts. Modine also played the role of the sinister scientist Dr. Martin Brenner in Stranger Things.
Emma Dumont plays Jackie Oppenheimer
Who is Jackie Oppenheimer? Sister-in-law of Oppenheimer and wife of his younger brother Frank.
What else has Emma Dumont been in? Damon is best known for her role as Melanie Segal on the ABC Family Bunheads series. She also appeared as Emma Karn on the NBC series Aquarius and as Lorna Dane/Polaris on the FOX series The Gifted.
Benny Safdie plays Edward Teller
Who is Edward Teller? Another scientist who worked with Oppenheimer on the Manhattan Project.
What else has Benny Safdie been in? Fans might recognize Safdie from his appearance in the 2017 film Good Time, Licorice Pizza and, more recently, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Who else is in Nolan’s Oppenheimer cast?
Michael Angarano also joined the cast as Robert Serber, another physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project alongside Oppenheimer, while Josh Peck is on board as Kenneth Bainbridge, a physicist who led the first atomic bomb test for the Manhattan Project and Alden Ehrenreich plays Richard Feynman, a theoretical physicist famous for his work in quantum electrodynamics.
Besides, Danny Deferrari plays Enrico Fermi, another member of the Manhattan Project, famous for creating the world’s first nuclear reactor, Gustaf Skarsgard plays Hans Bethe, a scientist who won the Nobel Prize in 1967 for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis and Devon Bostick portrays Seth Neddermeyer, another physicist working on the Manhattan Project.
Gary Oldman will also appear as Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States. In an interview on UK radio station TalkSport earlier in 2023, Oldman confirmed he would appear in the film for “a scene, a page and a half”.
Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, Jack Quaid And Casey Affleck have also been confirmed as cast members, but details of their roles are being kept under wraps at this time.
Oppenheimer arrives in UK cinemas on July 21, 2023. Check out more of our Movie coverage or visit our tv guide And Streaming Guide to find out what’s going on tonight.
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