It doesn't sound like actors Matt Damon and Cillian Murphy are going to be enjoying a joint dinner any time soon... if they're working together, that is.
According to Damon, the Oppenheimer cast would "always eat together" while filming, Us Weekly reports. But because Murphy was constantly in character, Damon considered him to be "extremely distant when they socialized and often turned down dinner invitations."
In a recent 60 Minutes interview, which aired Sunday, Feb. 18, host Scott Pelly asked Murphy if he agreed with Damon and his assessment—that Murphy 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," Pelly clarified to Murphy.
"Yeah, I mean, I’ve always been like that, I think,” Murphy admitted. “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.”
As Us Weekly noted, the Oscar-nominated film Oppenheimer was shot in the middle of a remote New Mexico desert that was home to only one hotel and one restaurant.
Without a slew of nearby amenities to choose from, the cast was often tasked with entertaining themselves. Murphy, however, wasn't reportedly that interested in participating.
"The other big thing for me is sleeping," Murphy continued, arguing that he prioritized sleep over socializing opportunities with his coworkers. "I love sleeping and I need sleep. You just don’t have the room … in your head, and you want as much sleep as possible.”
In a previous interview with Entertainment Tonight, Damon clarified that he understood why Murphy isolated himself from the rest of the cast during meal time.
“He was losing so much weight for the role that he couldn’t eat dinner,” Damon told the publication at the time, adding that Murphy would usually eat nothing more than “one almond most nights or a little slice of apple" in preparation for his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Matt Damon says, "Cillian is the worst dinner companion imaginable." Hear Cillian Murphy's reaction. https://t.co/FNkS0GJWQC pic.twitter.com/a2UkC9xlNFFebruary 19, 2024
In the same 60 Minutes interview, Murphy went on to add that once filming had wrapped and production had ended, he was much warmer towards Damon and his fellow co-stars.
“I’ve had lots of lovely dinners with Matt Damon since the movie’s finished and we’ve been out promoting it and stuff," Murphy explained.
