Cillian Murphy says the Christopher Nolan movie he wished he starred in was Interstellar

Last Updated on August 24, 2023

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer boasts an impressive list of actors in the cast. Even more so when you see the movie and there are more impressive actors making cameos. Nolan is also known for working with a close-knit group of actors with whom he’s comfortable and enjoys collaborating. Michael Caine, for example, was a regular of his up until Oppenheimer. However, he would finally give the spotlight to a frequent supporting actor in his films, Cillian Murphy. Murphy has been one to reliably support the big name in Nolan’s movies, but when he finally was called up to the plate, Murphy would not waste this opportunity.

As grateful as Murphy was to take on the lead in one of Nolan’s most praised of films, Variety reports that he reflected on a film of Nolan’s he would’ve liked to have starred in — the sci-fi space drama, Interstellar. In an interview with The Independent, Murphy would explain, “I adore Interstellar just because I find it so emotional. I remember seeing it in the cinema when I had little kids. It just had a big impact on me. It broke my heart. I love watching his films when I’m not in them because you don’t have to freak out about the size of your ears, or whatever.”

He holds no grudge, though. The actor is also professing that Nolan had cast the “right people” in Interstellar. Oppenheimer can be seen as a spiritual companion to Interstellar as both are emotional, as Murphy puts it, and there is a great emphasis on the science aspect in a world-changing breakthrough. Murphy was additionally asked, possibly in a Barbenheimer reference, what Christopher Nolan film he think would make a good double feature with Oppenheimer. Murphy’s reply was, “You could go Interstellar, which is very… explores similar scientific, physic themes. Or you could watch Dunkirk, which is also set in World War II. Dunkirk is shorter, so that might be a good match ‘cause it’s like an hour-and-a-half, and then you can go into [Oppenheimer].”

Oppenheimer has been enjoying a three-week success at the box office, paired along with Barbie. Christopher Nolan was recently asked what his favorite movies to stop and watch on TV are, and he gave a surprising answer, “I mean, god, anything by [Stanley] Kubrick, you know? It’s a remote drop. And some of the great comedies too, I mean ‘Talladega Nights,’ I’m never gonna be able to switch that up. If you ain’t first, you’re last.“