angel: Actor Cillian Murphy says his sex scenes with Florence Pugh in ‘Oppenheimer’ are “perfect”. The ‘Peaky Blinders’ star, who is from Cork, Ireland, plays the lead in ‘Oppenheimer. Murphy said that the sex scene with co-star Florence Pugh, who plays girlfriend Jean Tatlock, is actually a good reason for it to appear in the film.
Jean Tatlock is a young student at Stanford Medical School and a member of the Communist Party and Oppenheimer’s lover. Although Florence Pugh got less screen time than expected, her scenes certainly had a huge impact in the film. Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald about the sex scenes, Murphy said: “Those scenes were deliberately written. He knew those scenes would get the film the ratings it got. And I think when you see it, it’s going to be very powerful. And they’re not unnecessary. They’re perfect. And Florence is absolutely wonderful.”
Praising Pugh’s work, he added: “I’ve loved Florence’s work since ‘Lady Macbeth’ (William Oldroyd’s 2016 period drama about a woman embittered by a loveless marriage) and I think she’s wonderful. Her presence as a person and on screen is staggering. The impact she has (in ‘Oppenheimer’) for the size of the role is devastating.”
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The film is director Christopher Nolan’s first romantic tale, in the sense that Oppenheimer’s complex and passionate relationship with his mistress, Jean (Pugh), is central to the story. Development of ‘Oppenheimer’ was announced in September 2021, with Murphy approached by Nolan’s wife, producer Emma Thomas, to play the lead role.
The pair are not particularly close, even though Murphy and Nolan worked together on Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’ films (2005–2012), ‘Inception’ (2010) and ‘Dunkirk’ (2017). Murphy said, “Me and Chris don’t keep in touch, you know.”
“We don’t hang out and go to pizza. We work together. And then we don’t see each other, and then we work. So, when I got the call from Emma, I knew it was going to be something. And then Chris got on the phone, and he said, This is my next project, I want you to be my Oppenheimer.”
Explaining his reaction, Murphy says: “I had to sit down. But it was one of those great, glorious, pure moments of joy that you only get a few times in your life.”
Murphy also said that he did a lot of research for his role. Murphy said, “You can do all the research, and I did for ‘Oppenheimer’, I did six months of research, but when it comes down to it, it’s just you and the other actors and the director, and what matters is the truth… and that moment.”
“All the crap research in the world isn’t going to help you. I’ve gotten better at doing that by staying open.” Murphy also stated that he does not see himself as a celebrity, and that his anonymity is one of the most important tools in an actor’s toolkit. I don’t know that (fame) is destructive, but I don’t think it’s helpful,” Murphy said.
“I’ve always felt that way. It’s always seemed logical to me that the less people know about you, the more willing they are to invest in you on screen. It seems completely logical to me.”