Director Christopher Nolan and actor Cillian Murphy have reacted to Oppenheimer‘s many Oscar nominations, expressing gratitude for the movie’s recognition. The film has been nominated for 13 awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Original Score, and Best Picture. Nolan was nominated for Best Director while Murphy was nominated for Best Actor.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Nolan expressed gratitude for the number of Oscars Oppenheimer was nominated for. In addition, Murphy spoke to Deadline about his Best Actor nomination, expressing how happy he is after his long career. Check out what Nolan and Murphy had to say below:
Nolan (via THR): We’ve clearly caught a wave with the film and that’s something we’re very grateful for. We never imagined this level of success. But we did have faith that it was a great story. You know, certainly audiences going to it in the summer, I think it was the strength of the story itself, this great piece of American history that was driving things for us. Also, for a film that came out in the summer to be recognized by the Academy at the end of the year or beginning of next year, it’s just a very rewarding thing to wake up to. Frankly, it’s not really what we expected when we set out this with this project and it’s wonderful surprise.
Murphy (via Deadline): I feel really privileged and I feel really lucky to be in a film that’s connected with people in a way that it has critically and commercially. To be in a film that people have seen three and four and five times and they come up to you and tell you that…. I don’t think you would have believed it or seen it as a possibility or anything like that; I just wanted to make theater and make good theater, and then you do a small part in a short film and then a small part in a film — we’ve talked about this really gradual process and I think that’s why I’m able to deal with it and able to enjoy it. I’m like 48 and I’ve seen a lot and been doing it for 28 years now, so I think I can understand how significant it is to me and how meaningful it is to me and to other people… You know, it’s been a long time in the business. I think as a youngster it just didn’t seem a possibility anything like this.
How Many Oscars Will Oppenheimer Win?
Alongside Nolan and Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Lewis Strauss, while Emily Blunt was nominated as Best Supporting Actress for portraying Kitty Oppenheimer. The film’s 13 nominations in total are just above the 11 nominations for Poor Things and 10 for Killers of the Flower Moon. With plenty of strong competition across the board, it remains to be seen how many wins the biopic can pull off.
However, given its critical and commercial success, the film is poised to take home plenty of Oscars by the end of the night. Since Oppenheimer‘s chronological timeline is broken up throughout the film, it makes for a unique experience not captured in the same way by other nominated features. This way of storytelling emphasizes its important story beats while offering multiple interpretations of its major characters.
Oppenheimer’s Black & White vs. Color Sequences Meaning Explained
Oppenheimer is unique as it uses both black and white and color scenes. Nolan does this for a reason, and the trailer shows which scenes are affected.
However, there will still be a major competition for the categories, especially given the critical praise other highly-nominated movies have received. Even so, Oppenheimer‘s many nominations underscores just how major an achievement it was in 2023, and how it will likely be honored through numerous wins at the Oscars. Whether Nolan and Murphy will win in their categories will be determined when the awards show airs.
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is a film by Christopher Nolan, which follows the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy will play the titular role, with the story based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.
- Release Date
- July 21, 2023
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Cast
- Cillian Murphy , Emily Blunt , Matt Damon , Robert Downey Jr. , Rami Malek , Florence Pugh
- Runtime
- 150 Minutes
- Writers
- Christopher Nolan
- Budget
- $100 Million
- Studio(s)
- Syncopy Inc. , Atlas Entertainment
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
