Director Christopher Nolan has revealed that the filming schedule for his latest war drama 'Oppenheimer' was arranged around Cillian Murphy's haircut, as he is 'very allergic to wigs' in his movies. The Oscar-winning filmmaker said he insisted on scheduling the shoot to ensure Murphy never needed to wear a wig, keeping the film as practical and authentic as possible.
In the biopic, Murphy plays theoretical physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer, and the story spans from the 1920s to the 1960s. To cover this time period, the actor sports several different hairstyles, from a buzz cut to a short, clean cut to a longer, more dishevelled look. Nolan told The New York Times: 'I did insist on scheduling it around Cillian's haircut. Because I'm very allergic to wigs in movies. I really wanted the film to not have any obvious artifice.'
Despite working together on several films including 'Batman Begins', 'Inception', and 'Dunkirk', Murphy said he had no idea that Nolan was working on 'Oppenheimer' until the director called him out of the blue and offered him the lead role. Murphy described the moment as 'overwhelming' in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, adding: 'I genuinely had no idea. He said he was making a movie about Oppenheimer and he said, 'I'd like you to play Oppenheimer.' I had to sit down.'
After accepting the role, Murphy spent five months rehearsing lines and starting a gruelling diet of 'an almond a day' to accurately portray the 'father of the atomic bomb'. The film is set for release on Friday, July 21.
