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“He Just Didn’t Eat Dinner Ever”: Matt Damon Makes a Surprising Confession About Co-Star Cillian Murphy Who Pushed Himself to the Verge of Insanity to Play Oppenheimer

Published 07/19/2023, 10:01 AM EDT

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Much hype has surrounded over the release of the Christopher Nolan movie ‘Oppenheimer’. Soon to release in less than a week, the hype was further exacerbated by the release of another big-budget movie, Barbie. While actors from both movies did their bit to stay in shape for their respective films, Oppenheimer’s lead went the extra mile to justify his role as the ‘Father of Atomic Bomb’. Cillian Murphy controlled his diet, almost bringing it to a bare minimum, something opposite of what bodybuilding experts do.

He did that to look extra lean for the role. His co-star Matt Damon revealed that he even skipped dinners. Besides Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Bennie Safdie, etc all-star in this multi-starrer film cast. During one of the interviews, Matt Damon, who plays Leslie Groves, revealed that Murphy would often skip dinners and live on paltry food to stay lean, hungry, and right in shape for the role.

How Cillian Murphy just survived on ‘almonds’ for his role in Oppenheimer

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During an interview with ET Online, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt revealed some behind-the-scenes stories from the Oppenheimer shoot. They inevitably bumped into the secretive shooting of the movie in New Mexico, not much unlike the real-life Manhattan Project. Damon said they were having breakfast, lunch, and dinner in one restaurant in the location, and everyone was there. Except for one person.

via Imago

“We invited Cillian every night for dinner. He just wasn’t there”, said Damon to ET Online. The interviewer promptly responded, “Are you kidding?” almost in shock. When probed about what Murphy ate for dinner every night, his co-stars explained that he survived on a few almonds and sometimes another food item at max. Damon continued, “He was losing so much weight for the part that he just didn’t eat dinner ever”.

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Read More: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Actor Son Impressed by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling’s $100,000,000 Upcoming Movie Releasing on the Same Day as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer

Cillian Murphy’s dedication to playing one of the most important scientific figures in the 21st century didn’t just operate at an intellectual, appearance, and acting level. He was equally dedicated to it physically.

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How Oppenheimer’s real-life guilt forced Cillian Murphy to push himself to the edge

Robert J Oppenheimer, the ‘Father of the Atomic Bomb’, famously regretted his decision to create the atomic bomb later on for not comprehending its full potential at first. He later realized that he may have brought terrible cruelty to mankind, and even famously quoted the Hindu scripture, Bhagavad Gita. His words “I have become death” still echo in the ears of every history aficionado. The bombs were later used to detonate Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945, something that Oppenheimer wasn’t entirely privy to.

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While no one can be certain whether or not these scenes end up in the film until it releases, the impact of being in the shoes of this scientist throughout the events in the film, took a toll on Murphy. His leanness was therefore justified, brought on by the extreme mental stress that Oppenheimer must’ve been on. A separate interviewer even called him “sickly” looking. By the looks of the movie so far, Murphy may have done justice to the role.

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Written by:

Tanmay Roy

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Tanmay Roy is a sports writer at EssentiallySports specializing in his coverage of the Olympics and other major American sporting events. His passion for sports was ignited by the early achievements of Michael Phelps, Pete Sampras, and John McEnroe. As a writer for EssentiallySports, Tanmay's articles have been recognized as Editor's Picks, showcasing his ability to craft engaging and thought-provoking stories.
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Edited by:

Parth Sharma