Oppenheimer: From Cillian Murphy to Robert Downey Jr, here's who played what in the film

Christopher Nolan’s _Oppenheimer_ has been basking in the glory of some glowing reviews and fantastic global box-office. And here’s a breakdown of which actor played what real life character in this biographical drama: Cillian Murphy - J. Robert Oppenheimer The leading man of the film essayed the role of someone who’s known as the father of the atomic bomb. It has been reported he ate only one almond a day to get into the physicality of the character and also extensively prepped to get into the headspace of the complex and charismatic personality. Robert Downey Junior- Lewis Strauss This actor played the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, someone who was in a way responsible for Oppenheimer’s downfall. This was the first time the actor was directed by Christopher Nolan and the collaboration seems to have paid off and how. Emily Blunt- Katherine Oppenheimer Katherine was a German-American biologist and botanist, and her marriage with Robert was her fourth. Matt Damon- General Leslie Groves Damon gets into the skin of General Leslie Groves, the director of the Manhattan project. Again, a performance driven by nuance and the ability to be naked on screen. Tom Conti- Albert Einstein Conti played the renowned physicist and scientist Einstein, who was very much instrumental in the Manhattan project. About a scene in the film In a scene, where Oppenheimer is in a crucial meeting with the U.S. Secretary of War, Henry Stimson and other government officials, where they decide on which part of Japan they need to drop bombs. Followed by a scene, where Henry says they should avoid Kyoto as it is a place he and his wife went on a honeymoon. “There’s a moment where James Remar… He kept talking to me about how he learned that Stimson and his wife had honeymooned in Kyoto. That was one of the reasons that Stimson took Kyoto off the list to be bombed. I had him crossing the city off the list because of its cultural significance, but I’m like, ‘Just add that.’ It’s a fantastically exciting moment where no one in the room knows how to react,” said Nolan.

Talking about actors researching on their characters, he added, “They had tons of homework to do. They had a great resource with ‘American Prometheus.’ They then did their own research and what it meant for me, which isn’t something I’d ever really been able to do in the past… The script is there, but they could come into it with passion and knowledge based on all of their own learning.”