Cillian Murphy is a favourite pick for most Christopher Nolan movies and here's the reason why

Cillian Murphy has had an interesting and successful career spanning more than three decades. The Irish actor has been a part of several critically acclaimed and successful projects both in films and television. Fans have also noticed that he is a frequent collaborator of Christoper Nolan.

The director has worked with Cillian Murphy on several of his films, including Batman Begins, Inception, Dunkirk, and Oppenheimer. All these films are in different genres and have been successful. The Peaky Blinders actor discussed why he is often seen in Nolan films. So, let us take a look at what he said.

Cillian Murphy reveals his frequent collaboration with Christopher Nolan

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Cillian Murphy gave an interview to The Guardian in December 2024, where he spoke about his frequent collaboration with Christopher Nolan. The actor said that he would show up for Nolan irrespective of the role. He said,

I’ll always turn up for Chris, whatever the size of the part. Chris will call me up and I’m there. Isn’t it wonderful that filmmakers are still making challenging, demanding films within the studio system, shot on film rather than Imax?”

He further praised Nolan and other directors who are telling stories on a large scale.

“I think he’s flying the flag. Him, Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino, are fantastic filmmakers making interesting work on a massive scale."

The collaboration between Nolan and Murphy began with Batman Begins. Interestingly, the Irishman had auditioned for the lead role of Bruce Wayne. While Murphy couldn't get the lead, he managed to impress Nolan, who cast him as Dr. Jonathan Crane aka The Scarecrow.

Nolan spoke about how he finally got the lead role for Murphy after casting him in supporting bits for years. He said,

“I’ve never seen an actor with such a commitment to the truth. But I’d never had him as the lead, so it was a thrill to be able to call him and say, ‘This is the one’.”

In an interview with Total Film, Nolan praised Murphy and said,

“I’ve always known since I first met him - however many years ago it is now, almost 20 years - that he is one of the great actors, not just of his generation, but of all time."

Cillian Murphy played the lead role in Oppenheimer

Cillian Murphy finally got the lead role in Nolan's historical biographical film Oppenheimer. The film was based on the book American Prometheus and followed theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who helped create the world's first nuclear weapons during the Second World War.

Nolan wrote and directed the film; he also co-produced it with his wife, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven. Murphy played the titular role, and the film was released on July 21, 2023, along with Barbie, which led to a phenomenon called Barbenheimer, where people went to see both films on the same day.

The film ended up grossing $976.8 million and received multiple Oscar nominations. Cillian Murphy won the Best Actor award, while Nolan took home the Best Director award.

Fans of Murphy would expect him to collaborate with Nolan once again in the future after their successful last outing.