Oppenheimer: Florence Pugh's Hilarious Response To Being Offered Her Role
As the movie title suggests, "Oppenheimer" lets Cillian Murphy shine in the titular role of the so-called father of the atomic bomb. The longtime Christopher Nolan collaborator is front and center, but the surrounding ensemble cast gives their fair share of noteworthy performances. Robert Downey Jr., in particular, is attracting Oscar buzz for his role as Lewis Strauss.
Florence Pugh may not be as much of an awards season contender as her cast mates, but her role as Jean Tatlock is crucial in unlocking the past (and the humanity) of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The real-life Tatlock was a love interest of Oppenheimer, a psychiatrist and a member of the Communist Party. Oppenheimer is left reeling in the wake of her suicide (though the film suggests the possibility of foul play).
Despite Tatlock's outsized impact on Oppenheimer's character, Nolan was apologetic that he didn't have a bigger part to offer to Pugh. But she couldn't care less. "I didn't really know what was going on or what it was that was being made," the actress said in an interview with MTV Movies. "Except I knew that Chris really, really, wanted me to know that it wasn't a very big role and he understands if I don't want to come near it. And I was like, 'Doesn't matter. Even if I'm a coffee maker at a cafe in the back of the room, let's do it.'"
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org
Pugh jumped at the opportunity to play Jean Tatlock
When presented with the opportunity to work with Christopher Nolan, Florence Pugh would have played a fly on the wall, let alone a background barista. So strong were her convictions on this matter that she barely needed to look at the script.
When Pugh and Nolan met for drinks in New York, he once again apologized for the size of the role. In the same interview with MTV Movies, she put on a jokey strained whisper and recalled saying, "Please don't apologize." Pugh continued, "Even when I got the script, I remember being like, 'I don't need ... I know I'm going to do it."
That seemed to be a common sentiment among the "Oppenheimer" cast. In a promotional featurette for the film, Emily Blunt — who plays Oppenheimer's embattled wife, Kitty — put it plainly. "If Chris Nolan calls you and says he'd like to meet with you, you're like, 'I don't care what it is.'"
Pugh's role may have been comparatively small, but her few scenes have courted a disproportionate amount of controversy. During the notable love scene between Tatlock and Oppenheimer, she interrupts their tryst to pull the Bhagavad Gita from Oppenheimer's bookshelf, whereupon he utters the famous line: "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." The scene sparked outrage among Hindu nationalists and right-wing figures in India. Moreover, the sex scene was changed in certain countries to censor nudity, with some nations covering Pugh's body with a CGI dress.