In ‘Oppenheimer,’ Cillian Murphy finally gets to lead a Christopher Nolan film

By LINDSEY BAHR
AP Film Writer

The day Christopher Nolan called Cillian Murphy about his new film, “Oppenheimer,” Murphy hung up the phone in disbelief. The Irish actor has been a regular presence in Nolan films going back almost two decades. But he had always been a supporting player. This time Nolan wanted him to be the titular character, the iconic, charismatic, controversial theoretical physicist who oversaw the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. “Oppenheimer” opens in theaters on July 21 and features a starry cast including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr. Much of it remains shrouded in secrecy until then.