Cillian Murphy Was 'Desperate' for 'Oppenheimer' Lead Role

Irish actor Cillian Murphy appeared in five previous films by acclaimed director Christopher Nolan, but always as a supporting character. Ahead of his leading debut in this year's Oppenheimer—which also stars Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, and Emily Blunt—the actor said he was "desperate" for a leading role in one of the director's films.

“I have always said publicly and privately, to Chris, that if I’m available and you want me to be in a movie, I’m there. I don’t really care about the size of the part,” Murphy told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him.”

Murphy will star as Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist often credited as the "father of the atomic bomb." He previously appeared in Nolan's Inception and Dunkirk, as well as the Dark Knight trilogy. He told AP that the years of working with Nolan paid off in a major way with the new film.

“We have this long-standing understanding and trust and shorthand and respect,” Murphy said. “It felt like the right time to take on a bigger responsibility. And it just so happened that it was a fucking huge one.”

Murphy went on to explain that he felt lucky to have built such a strong bond with the director, saying Nolan had a "profound impact on my life, creatively and professionally. He’s offered me very interesting roles over and I’ve found all of them really challenging. And I just love being on his sets."

Nolan's Oppenheimer is set to hit theaters on July 21.