The Oppenheimer cast is a notoriously chummy group, even affectionately referring to themselves as “Oppenhomies,” and a recent good-natured jibe at the expense of leading man Cillian Murphy from one of his famous co-stars looks to be more of the same.
During a recent interview with 60 Minutes host Scott Pelley, Murphy — who has since taken home the Oscar statuette for Best Actor for his tremendous performance as the eponymous physicist — discussed what it was like working with such A-list talent as Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr. and Florence Pugh. However, it was Damon’s cheeky critique of Murphy, which Pelley shared with the star, that had the Irishman cracking up mid-interview.
Matt Damon told me that ‘Cillian is the worst dinner companion imaginable’…What he meant by that was when you’re working on a film — when you’re being the character — there’s very little room in your head for anything else.
Murphy, who undertook a strict diet to mimic the physicality of the famously frail scientist, couldn’t partake in the margaritas and tacos that his “Oppen-homies” have gone on record saying they enjoyed while filming in the New Mexican desert.
Plus, the sheer scale and scope of the work required of him in the biopic meant that any downtime was limited and was more often than not devoted to sleep (when he wasn’t being attacked by a pillow gifted by Emily Blunt, that is). Cillian Murphy told Pelley:
Yeah, I mean, I’ve always been like that, I think. But it’s because, to me, you have the time on set, which is short enough time — you have 10 hours, maybe. And then the other part, if you’ve got a significant part, you’re having to keep your lines fresh. And then the other big thing for me is sleeping. I love sleeping and I need sleep!
The 47-year-old actor was quick to add that in the months since Oppenheimer production ended, he and his castmates have shared “lots of lovely dinners” together:
I’ve had lots of lovely dinners with Matt Damon since the movie’s finished and we’ve been out promoting it and stuff. But at the time, yeah, you just don’t have the room … in your head, and you want as much sleep as possible.
It’s not the first time that Murphy’s co-stars have publicly poked fun at him — both Matt Damon and his real-life neighbor Emily Blunt previously touted how hard it is to act opposite Cillian’s famously blue “ocean eyes.” And they don’t just single out him: Blunt also gifted Oppenheimer director and noted Uggs hater Christopher Nolan a pair of the fur-lined boots as a wrap gift on the award-winning film.
Given that Christopher Nolan has a habit of working with the same actors over and over again, this might not be the only time we see the likes of Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt come together onscreen. If they do, we know we’ll have a funny and friendly promo tour to go along with it. In the meantime, you can catch the three actors and the rest of the Oppenhomies in Oppenheimer, now available to stream with a Peacock subscription.