If you thought Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer was nuts, just wait until you hear what went into making it.
After all, Cillian Murphy was looking to be explosive while transforming into J. Robert Oppenheimer, a.k.a. the father of the atomic bomb.
“Oppenheimer had a very distinct physicality and silhouette, which I wanted to get right,” the 47-year-old told the New York Times of the scientist, who died from cancer in 1967. “I had to lose quite a bit of weight, and we worked with the costume and tailoring; he was very slim, almost emaciated, existed on martinis and cigarettes.”
The Irish actor’s diet was a bit different, but just as jarring, according to his costar Emily Blunt, who plays Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty.
“He had such a monumental undertaking,” she told Extra. “And he could only eat, like, an almond every day.”
And, reader, he doesn’t recommend you try this at home.