Christopher Nolan’s ambitious biopic, Oppenheimer, has garnered significant attention for its star-studded cast, with each actor portraying a real-life character. Set amidst the tumultuous era of the Second World War, Oppenheimer masterfully reconstructs the events that led to the birth of the first atomic bomb and its profound aftermath. At the forefront, the talented Cillian Murphy embodies the titular scientist, while a host of other remarkable performers bring to life a myriad of multi-faceted characters. Notably, Oppenheimer’s contemporaries, including the iconic Albert Einstein, and significant figures from his personal life, such as his wife Katherine Oppenheimer and former romantic partner Jean Tatlock, grace the ensemble.
The Oppenheimer true story finds its essence in the Manhattan Project, a secretive American military initiative that birthed an entirely new settlement while pioneering the atomic bomb. As a result, many key military figures associated with the Project also receive considerable screen time in Oppenheimer. Yet, within its grand historical scale and three-hour runtime, the film delves beyond Oppenheimer’s scientific achievements, exploring his legal predicaments stemming from his political affiliations. This narrative aspect completes the Oppenheimer character ensemble, incorporating crucial legal and bureaucratic players into the cinematic tapestry.
Emily Blunt As Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer
Emily Blunt lends her support to Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer as the character of Kitty, the wife of the titular scientist. However, the real-life Kitty emerges as a remarkable figure in her own right, being a biologist, botanist, and an active member of the Communist Party. Her political alignment exposed her to danger during the era of McCarthyism, adding a layer of complexity to her character. Despite the challenges, she remained steadfastly devoted to Oppenheimer for over two decades until his passing in 1967.
Blunt’s involvement in the biopic genre has been notable, having portrayed Queen Catherine Howard in the miniseries Henry VIII and Queen Victoria in The Young Victoria. Moreover, she gained recognition for her role as the resourceful mother, Evelyn Abbott, in the A Quiet Place movies, where the second installment also saw her co-starring alongside Cillian Murphy.
Cillian Murphy As J. Robert Oppenheimer
Cillian Murphy, at the helm of the Oppenheimer cast, brings to life the eponymous protagonist, a brilliant American scientist summoned by his government to create the most devastating weapon in human history. Struggling with internal conflicts, Oppenheimer takes a staunch anti-war stance after the bomb’s creation, leading him to face a trial due to his political affiliations. This marks another powerful collaboration between Murphy and Christopher Nolan, having previously portrayed the unhinged pharmacologist Dr. Jonathan Crane, also known as Scarecrow, in The Dark Knight trilogy, the emotionally distant heir Robert Fischer in Inception, and an unnamed shell-shocked soldier in Dunkirk. Beyond these roles, Murphy is celebrated for his portrayal of the chivalrous gangster Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders.
Robert Downey Jr. As Lewis Strauss
In Oppenheimer, the film cleverly switches between color and monochrome formats, reserving black-and-white scenes for the intense security hearing conducted by the United States Atomic Energy Commission. The esteemed head of this body, Lewis Strauss, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the movie, makes the pivotal decision to revoke Oppenheimer’s security clearance. This decision casts him as a somewhat villainous figure in American history.
Robert Downey Jr., who has previously delved into the biopic genre with his remarkable portrayal of slapstick legend Charlie Chaplin in the film Chaplin, is widely recognized for his iconic roles. He gained immense popularity as the armored Avenger Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and as the brilliant Victorian-era detective Sherlock Holmes in the titular franchise. His versatile performances have earned him a legion of fans and established him as a prominent and versatile actor in the industry.
Matt Damon As Leslie Groves
Matt Damon takes on the role of the United States Army officer who served as the primary director of Project Manhattan in the Oppenheimer biopic. It was this officer who managed to persuade Oppenheimer to become involved in the highly classified and clandestine operation. Driven by the belief that Oppenheimer’s contributions would significantly shorten the duration of the Second World War and bring American soldiers back home, he saw great potential in the scientist’s work.
Matt Damon, an Oscar-winning actor, is well-acquainted with portraying real-life figures on the big screen. In the past, he brought to life race car driver-turned-automobile designer Carroll Shelby in Ford v Ferrari, embodied South African rugby player François Pienaar in Invictus, portrayed medieval French knight Jean de Carrouges in The Last Duel, and played Nike marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro in Air. His diverse and acclaimed performances have solidified his reputation as a versatile and talented actor.
Josh Hartnett As Ernest Lawrence
Physicist Ernest Lawrence, renowned for his Nobel Prize and the invention of the cyclotron, shares a long-standing friendship with Oppenheimer, tracing back to their days as researchers at Berkeley. In the context of the Manhattan Project, Lawrence’s expertise lies primarily in the extraction of enriched uranium. Adding to the star power of the Oppenheimer cast, Josh Hartnett takes on the role of this wartime scientist. Hartnett, no stranger to portraying characters in historical settings, has previously depicted soldiers such as World War II combat pilot Danny Walker in Pearl Harbor and U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Eversmann stationed in strife-torn Somalia in Black Hawk Down. Additionally, he displayed his talent in period roles as the charming sharpshooter Ethan Chandler in the horror drama series Penny Dreadful.
Florence Pugh As Jean Tatlock
Jean Tatlock, a psychiatrist and member of the Communist Party, emerges as another significant woman with whom Oppenheimer had a romantic connection. However, the age gap between the two has raised concerns, as Jean was a student while Oppenheimer was her professor when their relationship began. Florence Pugh joins the talented cast of Oppenheimer to portray this tragic figure. Known for her compelling performances, the Oscar nominee has portrayed similarly complex and turbulent characters in the past, including the youngest March sibling, Amy, in Little Women, and the grieving psychology student, Dani, in Midsommar. Additionally, she is recognized for her role as the highly-trained spy and assassin Yelena Belova in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Rami Malek As David Hill
Rami Malek brings the character of David Hill to life in Oppenheimer as one of the physicists who accompanied Oppenheimer at the Los Alamos Laboratory. While not much is widely known about Hill compared to the other real-life figures depicted in the movie, Malek’s remarkable portrayal adds depth to the character. The talented actor is no stranger to the biopic genre, having earned an Oscar for his captivating performance as the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. He further showcased his acting prowess and versatility by winning an Emmy for his role as the paranoid computer hacker Elliot Alderson in Mr. Robot.
Malek’s presence extends beyond biopics, as he also joined the esteemed James Bond franchise as the vengeful Bond villain Lyutsifer Safin in No Time To Die. Additionally, he made memorable appearances in the Night at the Museum trilogy, portraying the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ahkmenrah. Rami Malek’s talent and ability to embody diverse characters make him a valuable addition to the cast of Oppenheimer.
Kenneth Branagh As Niels Bohr
Niels Bohr, a revered modern scientist known for his groundbreaking contributions to atomic structure and quantum theory, remains a celebrated figure due to his Nobel Prize-winning achievements. Within Christopher Nolan’s movie, Oppenheimer, it is suggested that Oppenheimer highly esteemed the Danish physicist, who occasionally served as a mentor to the American scientist. In the film, Kenneth Branagh, a frequent collaborator with Nolan, takes on the role of Bohr. Branagh has portrayed a range of characters in Nolan’s films, including the antagonistic Russian oligarch Andrei Sator in Tenet and the heroic naval Commander Bolton in Dunkirk. Moreover, the Oscar-winning director and screenwriter has demonstrated his talent for depicting real-life figures, such as actor Laurence Olivier in My Week With Marilyn and American President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Warm Springs. Branagh’s expertise and versatility make him a compelling choice to portray the esteemed Niels Bohr in Oppenheimer.
Casey Affleck As Boris Pash
In Oppenheimer, Casey Affleck takes on the role of U.S. military intelligence officer Boris Pash, who notably commanded the Alsos Mission, an American-British military operation tasked with detecting enemy scientific developments during the Second World War. This collaboration marks Affleck’s first time working with Christopher Nolan, despite having appeared alongside fellow cast member Matt Damon in several other films, including the Ocean’s trilogy, Good Will Hunting, and Interstellar.
Affleck’s exceptional talent has earned him critical acclaim, exemplified by his Oscar-winning performance as the depressed janitor Lee Chandler in Manchester By The Sea. He has delivered other memorable roles, such as portraying the American outlaw Robert Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and the dedicated private investigator Patrick Kenzie in Gone Baby Gone. Casey Affleck’s versatile acting skills make him a valuable addition to the star-studded Oppenheimer cast.
Other characters from the film Oppenheimer
Gustaf Skarsgård as Hans Bethe: Among the Oppenheimer character ensemble of Nobel laureates, Gustaf Skarsgård embodies German-American theoretical physicist Hans Bethe, who headed the Theoretical Division at the Los Alamos laboratory. Skarsgård is recognized for his portrayals of the wizard Merlin in Cursed and the shipbuilder Floki in Vikings.
Benny Safdie as Edward Teller: In the Oppenheimer cast, Benny Safdie takes on the role of Hungarian-American physicist Edward Teller, often referred to as the “father of the Hydrogen bomb.” Notably, Safdie is also an accomplished director, collaborating with his brother Josh Safdie on films like Good Time and Uncut Gems. Previously, he portrayed Robert Pattinson’s on-screen brother, Nick Nikas, in Good Time.
Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer: American particle physicist Frank Oppenheimer, J. Robert Oppenheimer’s younger brother, is brought to life by Dylan Arnold in Oppenheimer. Prior to this role, Arnold appeared as college student Theo Engler in You season 3 and troubled teenager Cameron Elam in 2018’s Halloween and its sequel Halloween Kills.
David Krumholtz as Isidor Isaac Rabi: Playing physicist Isidor Isaac Rabi, a longtime friend of Oppenheimer’s who chose not to work with him on the Manhattan Project, is David Krumholtz. Krumholtz is known for his role as the mathematical genius Charlie Eppes in Numb3rs and the reclusive hacker Mr. Universe in Serenity.
Emma Dumont takes on the role of Jackie Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer, portraying Oppenheimer’s sister-in-law and an active member of the Young Communist League. Dumont, an American actress-model-dancer, is widely recognized for her portrayal of the magnetism-controlling mutant Polaris in the X-Men spin-off, The Gifted.
Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush: The gifted engineer, scientist, and science administrator, Vannevar Bush, who played a key role in initiating the Manhattan Project, is portrayed by Matthew Modine in Oppenheimer. Modine has previously appeared as disillusioned Vietnam War soldier Private Joker in Full Metal Jacket and as the villainous scientist Dr. Martin Brenner in Stranger Things.
Christopher Denham embodies Klaus Fuch, the German theoretical physicist who acted as a Soviet spy, providing crucial information on the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union after the Second World War. Denham, known for his role as real-life U.S. diplomat Mark Lijek in Argo, delves into the character’s complex and enigmatic nature.
Gary Oldman steps into the shoes of American President Harry S. Truman, who assumed presidential duties after Franklin D. Roosevelt during the aftermath of the Second World War and continued his term during Oppenheimer’s trials. The esteemed actor reunites with Christopher Nolan, having previously played the committed police officer Jim Gordon in his Dark Knight trilogy. Moreover, Oldman has showcased his talent in similar biographical roles, including his Oscar-winning portrayal of UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.
David Rysdahl portrays Donald Hornig, one of the key figures involved in the preparation of the Manhattan Project’s Trinity Test. Rysdahl, who previously starred as Mike, a man trapped in a purgatory-like realm in Nine Days and as a kidnapping suspect named Lars in No Exit, brings depth to this significant historical figure.