Matt Damon and Emily Blunt are two of the most notable supporting actors in Christopher Nolan’s latest film, Oppenheimer. The movie is centered around Cillian Murphy, who plays the titular character and is about the Manhattan Project and creation of the atomic bomb. Damon and Blunt are essential in making Oppenheimer’s story as complex on screen as it was in real life, and elevate Murphy’s incredible performance. However, it seems that sometimes the Irish actor’s crystal blue eyes could be somewhat distracting in some scenes, mesmerizing the co-stars.
In a recent interview with People, Damon and Blunt chatted about their latest film and working with the Peaky Blinders star. While they could not be more complimentary about Murphy’s performance, they also pointed out that getting lost in his eyes was an unexpected casualty of the job. Damon said of his blue-eyed scene partner:
It’s a real problem when you’re doing scene work with Cillian [Murphy]...Sometimes you find yourself just swimming in his eyes.
Blunt couldn’t agree more with her former Adjustment Bureau co-star, referencing Billie Eilish’s song “Ocean Eyes” when talking about Murphy. She said:
It’s like that 'Ocean Eyes’ song by Billie Eilish. We just hum it all day.
I can see how that may have gotten particularly annoying for Murphy, who has a hefty load to carry emotionally throughout the film. He retorted his co-stars joking, not understanding the strong effect of his gaze. He said:
They’re not even that blue!
While I’m sure the Batman Begins actor is just being humble in response to his co-star’s teasing, his eyes couldn’t be more blue. The bright color of his eyes is quite effective for this film, as his character becomes more and more haunted throughout the film. Director Christopher Nolan used 70mm IMAX film to shoot Oppenheimer, which ensures that Cillian Murphy’s eyes shine bright in the best image quality possible.
Oppenheimer is a very serious movie, the cast seemed to have a blast promoting it. The all-star cast Nolan put together all went out to dinner during the press tour and took adorable pictures photobombed by John Krasinski. They’ve also been teasing each other in interviews, and telling stories about working with the famed Dunkirk director. Emily Blunt and Matt Damon seem to be leading the charge, as the Oppenheimer co-stars are neighbors in New York and were friends before working on the film. Murphy seems to be along for the ride, embracing the joking from his more gregarious co-stars.
Hopefully, the audience is able to pay attention to Nolan’s critically acclaimed masterwork without getting too lost in the protagonist’s oceanic stare. They truly are something to behold, as his co-stars mentioned, and definitely add something unique and special to the character. Nolan never does anything by accident, and the filmmaker likely knew that Murphy’s bright eyes added something truly spectacular to Oppenheimer’s 1000 yard stare. His co-stars also somehow accomplished breaking from their trance, and giving Oscar-worthy performances of their own.
You can catch Cillian Murphy and his “Ocean Eyes” in Oppenheimer, which is exclusively in theaters nationwide. The WWI biopic is a box office success, with plenty to love, so make sure to see it on the biggest screen possible. For more information on other long-awaited projects hitting cinemas this year, you should consult our 2023 movie release schedule.
