Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan delighted the world with one of the most impressive works of his filmography. Part of the enormous appeal of Oppenheimera film that tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, theoretical physicist known as “father of the atomic bomb”, It resided not only in a great technical section, but also with a dream cast. Several of Hollywood’s biggest stars joined Nolan to star in one of the most anticipated films of 2023.
To offer a little clarity about how dense its story can be and the way in which the characters relate, here we present the most important ones and the performers who bring them to life.
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer
Although he has already collaborated with Nolan on several occasions, this is the first time that Murphy stars in one of his films. He does it as one of the most controversial men of the last century, and the one who gives its name to the film. This theoretical physicist was born in 1904, and He led the development of the atomic bomb used in World War II. Although he began in the energetic processes of subatomic particles, he soon entered politics due to his concern about the growth of Nazism.
He inherited his father’s fortune and allocated resources to sponsor anti-fascist foundations. After the outbreak of the aforementioned war, he began to investigate how to create the atomic bomb. He joined the Manhattan Project, whose purpose was to investigate the development of nuclear energy for military purposes. After learning the results of the bomb, his life was not the same. It is said that he lived with remorse until the end of his days.
Emily Blunt as Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer’s wife, biologist and botanist. She came to the United States when she was only 3 years old. She served as a technician at the Los Alamos laboratory, where she worked on creating the bomb. Apparently, her relationship with Oppenheimer was intense, as he always sought her beloved’s opinion at every step of the Manhattan Project.
He was a vital part of investigating the consequences of detonating the bomb, as he performed blood tests to evaluate the effects of the radiation emitted. After the detonationgave in to alcoholism and dedicated her life to caring for the children she had with her husband. His professional life never reached the levels of effectiveness it had before the event.
Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss
After an indisputable triumph in the MCU, Downey Jr. returns to dramatic roles. Lewis Strauss became indispensable in the transfer of Jews from Europe to the United States. He served on several committees that gave him great power, and in 1946, he formed, with the help of many others, the Atomic Energy Council, charged with coordinating nuclear energy research.
He lived with the idea of maintaining power in the United States above the Soviet Union, and he pushed for his country to be a leader in atomic energy. After the end of World War II, he became Oppenheimer’s great political rival. For this role, Several experts say that Downy Jr. could be nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the next Oscars.
Matt Damon as Leslie Groves
Military leader with great influence in the development of the atomic bomb. He led the American atomic energy program with a peculiar vision of what it could achieve. He was known for his determination to achieve a high-impact atomic weapon, and he never hesitated to make his ideas known to the entire world. After the end of the war, Groves embarked on another conflict where the production of nuclear weapons, his specialty, shone: the Cold War.
Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock
She is the first woman who impacted Oppenheimer’s life. She was born in 1914 and years later she studied psychiatry. She worked as a reporter for a communist newspaper in the United States, and was considered a faithful defender of socialism and its representatives. She met the film’s protagonist in 1936, when he was a physics teacher. She taught him his political and social ideas, in addition to sharing her taste for poetry.
There were two marriage proposals in their history, however, they never came to fruition. Unfortunately, she was never able to overcome her emotional problems, which led her to commit suicide in 1944. Curiously, there are theories surrounding her death. Some conspiracy theories indicate that the US government “silenced” her for her leftist stance.. Oppenheimer is said to have used the name Trinity with the first atomic bomb thanks to Tatlock, and as a reference to a John Donne poem she taught him.
Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence
Born in 1901, this American physicist was the first to build a particle accelerator. Thanks to his knowledge, he worked on the Manhattan Project within the area in charge of separating the isotope 235 of uranium for the atomic bomb. Years later he patented the cathode tube for color televisions. Have you ever wondered why element 103 on the periodic table is called “laurence”? He is the answer.
Casey Affleck as Boris Pash
US Army Colonel. During World War II he was in command of the Alsos Mission, which aimed to discover and confiscate all types of German scientific projects. His intention was that the Soviet Union would not come to those plans first. After threats of infiltrators, Pash interrogated dozens of workers involved in the Manhattan Project, including Oppenheimer himself.
Rami Malek as David Hill
He was part of the scholars who worked at Los Alamos, while Oppenheimer and his associates worked on the development of the bomb. He was linked to experimental physics research, and although he was not as involved as others, he soon became close to the protagonist. He served as support in the great discredit that the “father of the atomic bomb” faced.
Kenneth Branagh as Niels Bohr
After his collaboration in Dunkirk and Tenet, Branagh reunites with Nolan in this epic political thriller. Here he gives life to the physicist of Danish origin, considered one of the most brilliant of the 20th century. In 1922 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on atomic structure and its radiation.
Due to his Jewish origins, he became a target of the Nazis, and had to take refuge in the United States, where he called himself Nicholas Baker. He collaborated in the Manhattan Project in the creation of the atomic bomb, but its consequences made him rethink his career. This is how he began to use his research and findings for purposes that benefit society.
Tom Conti is Albert Einstein
The best-known scientist of all time could not be left out of this long-awaited film. Einstein and Oppenheimer did not meet during the development of the Manhattan Project, but years before. In the film, the genius will show his views, which diverged from those of Oppenheimer. He had a particular idea about quantum mechanics and atomic weapons, which is why he was in favor of international nuclear arms control.
Ironically, a letter from Einstein, alerting the United States that Germany could develop nuclear bombs, was the necessary incentive for the development of such a lethal weapon.
Other cast members
In the extensive distribution of Oppenheimer we can also find director Benny Safdie (Rough diamonds) as Edward Teller, known as “father of the hydrogen bomb”. David Dasmaltchian (The Suicide Squad) plays William L. Borden, a lawyer who accused Oppenheimer of being part of the Soviet Union. Josh Peck (Drake and Josh) plays Kenneth Bainbridge, a physicist at Harvard University and director of the Trinity test in 1945.
Gustaf Skarsgård (Damned) also participates as Hans Bethe, a physicist who contributed greatly to nuclear physics, astrophysics and quantum electrodynamics. In the Manhattan Project he calculated the critical risk of all the weapons created there. On the other hand, Jack Quaid (The Boys) plays Richard Feynman, known for his work in electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and his support in the development of the atomic bomb.
Oppenheimer It is now available on digital platforms in Mexico. You can read HERE the review of PREMIERE CINEMA.
Juan Jose Cruz I am one of those who always defended Robert Pattinson as Batman and can see the same movie in the cinema up to 7 times. My guilty taste? Low-budget horror films.