Oppenheimer Star Reveals Christopher Nolan Told Him to Eat Cheese as Preparation for Film

Oppenheimer was one of the most successful movies of 2023, and it's currently a frontrunner of this awards season. The film was helmed by Christopher Nolan and features a star-studded cast led by Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer. One of the big names in the film is Benny Safdie, who is best known for co-directing Uncut Gems and Good Time as well as acting in projects such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., and Licorice Pizza. Safdie has also been busy promoting the hit series, The Curse which he created and co-stars in alongside Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder. Safdie recently spoke with Variety about his recent projects and revealed how he prepared for his role in Oppenheimer. 

Safdie plays Edward Teller in many different stages of his life in the film, so Nolan suggested the actor eat cheese to age up his voice. Sadfie went on to talk about Nolan's directing style.

"You'd come into the room and Chris would say, 'All right, let's go.' No camera. Everybody's in makeup, and we'd just do the scene. And then it was like, let's figure out where the cameras go," Safdie shared, calling Nolan's process "pure openness."

"This is a huge movie ... and he's still operating with that level of freedom. As an actor, it made me feel awesome," Safdie added. "It feels like such a perfect movie that the way it was made is almost a contradiction to that – because it's so loose."

Who Stars in Oppenheimer?

Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie as Edward Teller, Michael Angarano as Robert Serber, Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer, David Krumholtz as Isidor Isaac Rabi, Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush, Josh Peck as Kenneth Bainbridge, Devon Bostick as Seth Neddermeyer, Matthias Schweighöfer as Werner Heisenberg, Christopher Denham as Klaus Fuchs, Guy Burnet as George Eltenton, Danny Deferrari as Enrico Fermi, Emma Dumont as Jackie Oppenheimer, Gustaf Skarsgård as Hans Bethe, Trond Fausa Aurvåg as George Kistiakowsky, and Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman.

Are you rooting for Oppenheimer this awards season? Tell us your thoughts and picks in the comments!