It’s so nearly here. Oppenheimer day. And with each news story that comes our way, we only get increasingly more antsy to lay our eyes on it. Oppenheimer signals one of the biggest new movies of the summer, and is one that already has a loyal band of followers attached.
We’ve not even seen the movie yet, but we somehow already know it’ll be brilliant. Well, when you look at the caliber of the Oppenheimer cast and the legacy of the past Christopher Nolan movies, the evidence is already there.
But be warned, Oppenheimer isn’t set to be light fare. The life and work of the ‘father of the atomic bomb’ isn’t just groundwork for what is sure to be one of the best drama movies of the year, but also probably the most terrifying. Christopher Nolan knows this more than anyone, and still decided to put one of his family members into the frame.
Nolan isn’t exactly the most meta of filmmakers. Unlike his creative counterparts, such as Quentin Tarantino, or Martin Scorsese, he tends to keep himself and his family out of the picture (literally). But this time round, Nolan utilized one of his own to create a horrifying impact.
When his daughter, Flora, came to set one day, Nolan asked her if she wanted to step into a role that had yet to be cast. What was the role, you ask? Well, Flora ended up playing the role of a nameless woman in a sequence that sees Oppenheimer having a vision, in which she appears to him with the flesh melting from her face in a sharp bright light.
Okay, iconic? It’s a strange role to want to cast your daughter in, for sure. But Nolan himself explained that there was much more to it than that, and his intentions were purely creative.
“We needed someone to do that small part of a somewhat experimental and spontaneous sequence,” Nolan said [via The Telegraph], “So it was wonderful to just have her sort of roll with it. Truthfully, I try not to analyse my own intentions. But the point is that if you create the ultimate destructive power it will also destroy those who are near and dear to you. So I suppose this was my way of expressing that in what, to me, were the strongest possible terms.”
To be honest, if Nolan asked us to appear in one of his movies, we’d be willing to play a grain of sand.
Can’t wait until the Oppenheimer release date for some explosive content? Check out our list of the best movies based on a true story for more biopics.
And we’ve got answers to all your burning questions about the movie, like: Is Oppenheimer a black-and-white movie? and Does Oppenheimer have a post-credit scene? Don’t forget to read all about the Oppenheimer true story, and take a look at our list of the best movies of all time!