Cillian Murphy reveals heartwarming note Christopher Nolan left him on Oppenheimer script

Two have collaborated together on six films over the course of nearly 20 years

Cillian Murphy has revealed the encouraging and heartfelt words Christopher Nolan wrote on the cover of his Oppenheimer script.

The Irish actor, 47, who is still on an awards campaign tour for Nolan’s Oscar-nominated atomic bomb epic, appeared on a recent episode of CBS’ popular news show 60 Minutes.

During the segment, Murphy showed a copy of his script, which had the words: “Dearest Cillian. Finally, a chance to see you lead… Love, Chris”, scrawled across the front.

“I have always said publicly and privately, to Chris, that if I’m available and you want me to be in a movie, I’m there. I don’t really care about the size of the part,” the Peaky Blinders star said. “But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him.”

Murphy and Nolan have been long-time collaborators. Oppenheimer is their sixth film together over the course of nearly 20 years. They’ve also worked together on three Batman movies, Inception (2010) and Dunkirk (2017).

“He’s so understated and self-deprecating and, in his very English manner, just said, ‘Listen, I’ve written this script, it’s about Oppenheimer. I’d like you to be my Oppenheimer,’” Murphy recalled.

“It was a great day… We have this long-standing understanding and trust and shorthand and respect. It felt like the right time to take on a bigger responsibility. And it just so happened that it was a huge one.”

He added: “I felt confident going into it with Chris. He’s had a profound impact on my life, creatively and professionally. He’s offered me very interesting roles and I’ve found all of them really challenging. And I just love being on his sets.”

Earlier this month, Murphy revealed the unusual way Nolan delivers scripts. He explained that the Bafta-winning director always makes sure his scripts are hand-delivered.

“Part of it has to do with keeping the story secret before it goes out. But part of it has to do with tradition,” Murphy told GQ. “They’ve always done it this way, so why stop now? It does add a ritual to it, which I really appreciate. It suits me.”

Oppenheimer recently swept the 2024 Baftas, winning a total of seven trophies, including Best Film and Best Director.

The movie also leads the forthcoming Oscars with a whopping 13 nominations – in a majority of the biggest categories.