Christopher Nolan says he filmed 'Oppenheimer' around Cillian Murphy's different haircuts

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  • Christopher Nolan said that the"Oppenheimer" filming schedule was based on Cillian Murphy's haircuts.

  • The main character, played by Murphy, is seen at different stages in his life and has varying hairstyles.

  • Nolan wanted the film to not include "any obvious artifice" relating to the characters' appearances.

"Oppenheimer" director and writer Christopher Nolan said that he planned the filming schedule around actor Cillian Murphy's varying hairstyles for his role, rather than using wigs.

"Anytime you get into myriad locations, a lot of different actors, it's always going to be a puzzle," Nolan told the New York Times in an interview published on Thursday.

The filmmaker's comment was prompted by the publication asking him how he executed a movie of this scope, with a sprawling cast and various locations.

"I did insist on scheduling it around Cillian's haircut," Nolan said, laughing. "Because I'm very allergic to wigs in movies. I really wanted the film to not have any obvious artifice when it came to the way characters presented themselves."

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer."
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer."Universal Pictures

Although Nolan said that he's "allergic" to wigs, he most likely meant that he has an aversion to using fake hair in films.

"Oppenheimer," based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography "American Prometheus," stars Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist known as the father of the atomic bomb.

The movie chronicles the lead-up to the first test of the atomic bomb (the Trinity Test) in 1945 as well as the social and political ramifications of that explosion.

Because "Oppenheimer" shows Murphy's character at different time periods, the actor had distinguishable differences in his hairstyles and appearance. In a recent interview with MTV Movies, Murphy said that his on-screen silhouette was inspired by different periods in David Bowie's career.

Cillian Murphy in a scene from "Oppenheimer" where J. Robert Oppenheimer is standing by the side of a dirt road next to a black car while gazing into the distance.
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer."Universal Pictures

The movie was also filmed in 57 days and Murphy lost weight for the role, though he won't publicly share specifics.

His costars, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, told Entertainment Tonight that his "Oppenheimer" diet resulted in him skipping daily dinners with the cast.

In a recent interview with Deadline, Murphy said that his meager caloric intake was a factor in missing those meals, but he was also laser-focused on the weight of his role.

"I just didn't really have room for it in my head, for having a crack and having fun," he said. "Yeah, I was trying to skip meals and reduce calorie intake, but it was just a decision."

"It's not that I'm an unsociable person, I loved hanging out with these guys now on the tour, we're great pals," Murphy continued. "It's just focus – you just want to focus on the work. And sleep becomes vitally important cause you're working every single day and you're up before dawn, you just want to get as much sleep as possible."

"Oppenheimer" is now playing in theaters. 

Read the original article on Insider