Yahoo News Robert Downey Jr. Gets Emotional Thanking Christopher Nolan for ‘Oppenheimer’ Casting: ‘I Needed Someone to Have a Vision of What Was Possible for Me’
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? I think a saw a [the] lids kind of flicker a bit. Just speculating.”
Nolan said he doesn’t like to be around when people are reading his screenplays – he learned his lesson when he watched his wife and producer Emma Thomas read the script for “Memento.” He recalled how she would flip back and forth and make confused sounds as she read. “That shot my nerves,” he admitted. “So, I go for a walk – or in the case of Cillian, I flew over to Dublin and went to the Hugh Lane Gallery and looked at the reconstruction of the Francis Bacon studio they have there.” Nolan says he was a little nervous for Murphy to read it. “But fortunately, he liked the script.”
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Throughout the evening, Downey continued to sing everyone’s praises. Nolan crediting the actor for the camaraderie he brings to a set and how he makes everyone feel involved and appreciated. “And that allows you to dominate the scene,” Nolan noted. “Some people will dominate the scene through selfishness.”
Downey replied that he was just following the lead of the star and the director. He complimented Murphy on how he set the tone on set for the other actors. He also referenced Murphy’s severe weight loss for the role. “You know what’s it like to be so tired and Chris thinks you need to keep losing weight? Usually, you lose weight and then you’re free, but he got all the skinniest stuff at the end and he wanted you skinny to begin with!” Downey said. “He was practically weighing your food – the space you made for everyone, you really hosted while staying in character. I was just kind of putting up what you were putting down.”
Near the end, Nolan also seemed touched as Downey went on to praise him. While he told Nolan didn’t want to use “the g-word” in describing him, he praised. “You’re generous in the time that you afford to be able to help people find the scenes if they’re not exactly on point.”
“I love you, man!” Nolan proclaimed, causing the audience to explode and Downey to kick his feet in the air.
“Unprecedented!” Downey declared. “This is a whole new Chris!”
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