Cillian Murphy says intimate scenes in ‘Oppenheimer’ were ‘not gratuitous’

Cillian Murphy is addressing his steaming s*x scenes in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which featured Florence Pugh with him. The actor is of the opinion that the scenes were “not gratuitous.”

In the historic epic based on the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Murphy depicts the titular character, while Pugh plays the psychiatrist and Communist Party member, Jean Tatlock. Oppenheimer was engaged with Tatlock while he was married to Katherine (played by Emily Blunt).

“Those [sex] scenes were written deliberately. He knew that those scenes would get the movie the rating that it got,” he told Sydney Morning Herald as he discussed the scenes that Nolan was “nervous” to direct.

The actor added that the scenes are not just there and they make the film more impactful. “And I think when you see it, it's so f***ng powerful. And they're not gratuitous. They're perfect. And Florence is just amazing,” he said.

The intimate scenes between the two actors got the movie a 15 rating in cinemas due to its “infrequent nudity and sexual content.”

The Peaky Blinders alum went on to sing praises of the indie film queen, who has starred in acclaimed films such as Midsommar and The Wonder.

He added: “I have loved Florence's work since Lady Macbeth and I think she's f***ing phenomenal. She has this presence as a person and on screen that is staggering. The impact she has [in Oppenheimer] for the size of the role, it's quite devastating.”