Oppeheimer star Cillian Murphy breaks his silence on all the criticism he’s receiving for the sex scene in the Christopher Nola directorial. Here’s how he defends it.
Los Angeles: A lot has been said and discussed about the sex scenes in Oppenheimer and whether it was really important to include them in the movie or not. The Christopher Nolan directorial has created an outrage on social media, especially in India for featuring Cillian Murphy reading the holy book Bhagavad Gita while having sex with Florence Pugh in the scene. When the actor was asked to comment on the relevance of the scene and why the film couldn’t do without it, he defended everything.
Not commenting on the Bhagavad Gita aspect of it, Murphy simply said it was important for the makers to highlight the personal relationships of Oppenheimer and that’s where the sex scene held importance. In an interview with GQ, when the interviewer asked him ‘whether sex scenes are necessary for the film at all’, Murphy said, “I think they were vital in this movie. I think the relationship that he has with Jean Tatlock is one of the most crucial emotional parts of the film. I think if they’re key to the story then they’re worthwhile.”
He went on to explain how such scenes are awkward to shoot but one has to do them irrespective. “No one likes doing them (sex scenes), they’re the most awkward possible part of our job. But sometimes you have to get on with it,” he said.
Christopher Nolan Defends Sex Scenes in Oppenheimer
Earlier, Nolan spoke at length about exploring the intimacy angle in his film and including those scenes in Oppenheimer. In an interview with Insider, he highlighted the importance of showing how Oppie’s ‘way with women’ and his ‘charm’ were prominent traits of his personality. Nola said the only way to show that personal side of the scientist was to include those intimate scenes in the film. He was quoted as saying, “When you look at Oppenheimer’s life and you look at his story, that aspect of his life, the aspect of his sexuality, his way with women, the charm that he exuded, it’s an essential part of his story.”
He explained how those scenes made Oppie, otherwise a harsh and unusually-minded scientist, vulnerable to his audience. Nolan added, “It felt very important to understand their relationship and to really see inside it and understand what made it tick without being coy or allusive about it.”
Oppenheimer has set the Box Office on fire all over the world. The film has received positive reviews from the critics and the audience except for that one sex scene which even ended up triggering boycott calls against Oppenheimer in India. While the outrage continues to grow on social media, the film continues to set the cash register ringing at the ticket window. What are your thoughts on the particular scene?