Robert Downey Jr. Gets Emotional Thanking Christopher Nolan for ‘Oppenheimer’ Casting: ‘I Needed Someone to Have a Vision of What Was Possible for Me’
variety.comJenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor One of the most reliably charming presences on the circuit all season has been Robert Downey Jr.
as he speaks about “Oppenheimer,” particularly Christopher Nolan. While some perceive the filmmaker as introverted, Downey has been regularly bringing out a side of the director that is playful – even downright giggly at times.The two nominees were joined at a Q&A last week by Cillian Murphy, who just earned his first Oscar nom for the titular role.
The actors spoke about how the offer for the film came out of the blue – Murphy has made six films with Nolan (Downey referred to him as the “secret weapon” to Nolan’s films) and didn’t know he was working on “Oppenheimer,” let alone that he would ask him to play the lead.
Murphy said every few years, he gets a call from Nolan, who asks him about a project. To which Nolan joked, “I realize I’ve I painted myself into a corner because I can’t now call him up and ask him to dinner.”Though Downey is a three-time Oscar nominee and a box office superstar, it was touching to hear how much it meant to him to be offered the role of Oppenheimer’s primary nemesis, Lewis Strauss. “I was at a place in my life in my career, where I needed someone to have a vision of what was possible for me that I couldn’t see for myself,” said the actor.Like Murphy, the project came to Downey out of the blue. “I got the call that I should go over to Chris’ house, which is already kind of exciting,” Downey said before joking, “I’d been casing the place for weeks!” When asked what Nolan did while Downey was alone in his house reading the screenplay, the actor joked the director was spying on him: “You know those paintings that have the eyes in them?
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