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Christopher Nolan is on his way to finally get an Oscar for his 2023 biopicOppenheimer. The legendary director recently won the Golden Globe and the Critic’s Choice Movie Awards for Best Director and also scoured nominations at the Oscars for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Nolan did not go to the Oscars alone and brought along his incredible cast of Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and Emily Blunt with him to the nominations. Downey Jr. has long been expected to win the coveted trophy for his performance as Lewis Strauss in the film. TheIron Manstar recently revealed that Nolan inspired him during a pivotal scene in the film to push his boundaries and figure out how to give a compelling performance.
Also read:“He’s going to be a movie star forever”: Christopher Nolan Only Considers 1 Actor to Be a True Superstar and That’s Not Cillian
Robert Downey Jr.’s Awards Run WithOppenheimer
Robert Downey Jr.spent the better part of a decade playing the role of the MCU superhero Iron Man. He laid the foundations of the Marvel universe with his 2008 filmIron Manand went on to become one of the OG Avengers in the franchise. He has starred in a trilogy of his own and has also made appearances in theAvengersfilms.
He exited the franchise in 2019’sAvengers: Endgame. After his tenure at Marvel, Robert Downey Jr.’s first appearance was in the filmDolittlewhich reportedly bombed at the box office. He was then cast in the role of Admiral Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s biopicOppenheimer. The film followed Strauss’ apparent enmity against Robert Oppenheimer after the Manhattan Project.
Downey Jr.’s performance was instantly lauded by audiences and critics alike. He was expected to win the Oscars for Best Supporting Role for his haunting and powerful performance as Strauss. On the road to the Academy, he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor along with his co-star Cillian Murphy (who won for Best Actor).
Robert Downey Jr. also won the Critic’s Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor along with Murphy and Christopher Nolan winning for Best Director. Nolan also won the Golden Globe for Best Director, along with winning Best Picture. Downey Jr., Murphy, Nolan, and many others from theOppenheimerteam were nominated for the Oscars.
Also read:Robert Downey Jr. Will Fight His Avengers Co-star Mark Ruffalo to Win the First Oscar of His Acting Career
Christopher Nolan Inspired Robert Downey Jr. To Not Be Lazy On Set
The lead trio ofOppenheimerCillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Robert Downey Jr. addressed many of the legends that have come out of aChristopher Nolanset. The trio mentioned that they were all given a script that was printed on red paper with black ink that was to be read at that moment and be returned and that Nolan did not have phones on set.
Robert Downey Jr. mentioned the lack of extra people around the set of a Christopher Nolan film and how only the people who are required to be there will be present. He said toVanity Fair,
“Human resources are scarce. And the idea is that this is a Spartan endeavor. And also I think that Chris, from all the films he’s done, he deplores waste. He’s a conservationist of the highest order…Everything is happening in front of the camera. There is no budget for anything that’s not happening in front of the camera…The other thing is, if I see Chris Nolan, I throw my phone.”
Also read:“It was very emotional”: Christopher Nolan Made a Deep Confession to Leonardo DiCaprio as Director Fights Martin Scorsese for Best Director
Downey Jr. also mentioned how Christopher Nolan inspired him to push himself to deliver a scene that has become one of the best moments in the film. The actor referred to the scene where Lewis Strauss accepts his fate when the court votes against his appointment at the Senate Confirmation hearing.
Downey Jr. said that they had tried the scene in many ways, but Christopher Nolan refused to be stopped until he was satisfied with it. He recounted the day they filmed the scene and said,
“We blocked…I like thought I had it…And he goes, ‘We may have it or we may not, but, no, I know I may have got something else in you.’…And I feel like it was a big moment of like, I have to break through this inherent, whatever our own lazy meter is, it’s in there somewhere. And that’s the thing you have to find and erase to grow.”
TheIron Manstar revealed how Christopher Nolan pushed for a performance that even he did not believe he could deliver by giving it the time it needed.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2419
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
