Oppenheimer cast and character guide: Who played whom in the Christopher Nolan movie

Oppenheimer chronicles the life of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who played a significant role in the Manhattan Project that created the world's first nuclear weapons. Christopher Nolan wrote and directed the epic biographical drama, adapted from Martin J. Sherwin and Kai Bird's 2005 book, American Prometheus. Here's the official synopsis as per Letterboxd:

The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.

The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $975.8 million. Let us take a look at the cast and character guide of the film to find out who played whom in Oppenheimer.

Oppenheimer cast and character guide

1) Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer

Cillian Murphy in and as Oppenheimer (Image via Universal Pictures)

Cillian Murphy plays the titular role of the American theoretical physicist who is widely regarded as the 'father of the atomic bomb.' The film is the sixth collaboration between Murphy and director Christopher Nolan after The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, and Dunkirk. The actor read about the physicist to prepare for the role.

Some of Murphy's popular films include Red Eye, 28 Days Later and Sunshine.

2) Emily Blunt as Katherine, or Kitty

Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer (Image via Universal Pictures)

British actress Emily Blunt plays the role of Katherine, who was married to Robert Oppenheimer. Katherine used to be a member of the American Communist Party.

Blunt has appeared in several films, including The Devil Wears Prada, The Young Victoria, Sicario, The Edge of Tomorrow and A Quiet Place, among others.

3) Matt Damon as Gen. Leslie Groves

Damon plays the role of Leslie Groves, an officer of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). He was the director of the Manhattan Project. According to EW, Damon had informed at home that he would take a break unless Christopher Nolan came up with an offer.

Other films of Damon include the Bourne franchise, Good Will Hunting and The Departed.

4) Robert Downey Jr. as Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss

Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss was a retired officer of the Naval Reserve. He was also a senior member of the US Atomic Energy Commission, and went after the titular theoretical physicist for his role in the creation of the atomic bomb.

Some of Robert Downey Jr.'s films include Iron Man, Zodiac, Chaplin, and Tropic Thunder, among others.

5) Other cast members

Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock
Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence
Casey Affleck as Boris Pash
Rami Malek as David L. Hill
Kenneth Branagh as Niels Bohr
Benny Safdie as Edward Teller
Jason Clarke as Roger Robb
Matthias Schweighöfer as Werner Heisenberg,
Josh Zuckerman as Giovanni Rossi Lomanitz

More about Oppenheimer

The film is produced by Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven. It was released alongside Greta Gerwig's Barbie, and the phenomenon was dubbed as Barbenheimer. The film ended up grossing $975.8 million at the box office against a $100 million budget. At the 96th Academy Awards, Oppenheimer received 13 nominations and won seven awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Murphy), and Best Supporting Actor (Downey).