‘Oppenheimer’ composer says Cillian Murphy’s “almost inhuman” performance changed the score

Oppenheimer composer Ludwig Göransson has explained how Cillian Murphy’s performance shaped the film’s score.

Murphy plays the lead role of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s historical drama, which follows the creation of the first nuclear weapons under the Manhattan Project.

• READ MORE: “It was unplayable”: ‘Oppenheimer’ composer Ludwig Göransson wrote Nolan’s toughest score yet

Speaking to NME, Göransson, who previously collaborated with Nolan on films Dunkirk and Tenet, said the score for Oppenheimer would have “absolutely” been different if another actor had portrayed the titular scientist.

“With [Murphy’s] performance, you’re just living it, you’re breathing it, you’re taking it home,” he said. “It feels like it becomes part of you. That did influence the music when I was writing it.”

Describing his performance as “almost inhuman”, the composer explained how they came up with a recurring theme to match Murphy’s depiction of the character.

“One of the early ideas that Chris [Nolan] had was the use of the violin,” Göransson said. “Oppenheimer was a genius with a lot of complex layers underneath.

“With a solo violin, you can play the most beautiful, romantic vibrato. But then if you press down the bow heavily and change the speed, you can make something horrific, manic or neurotic in a split second… Chris and I were constantly talking about going in and out of different emotions.”

Since it was released last month, Oppenheimer has become the fourth highest-grossing movie of the year, behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Barbie and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3.

In a five-star review, NME wrote: “Not just the definitive account of the man behind the atom bomb, Oppenheimer is a monumental achievement in grown-up filmmaking.

“For years, Nolan has been perfecting the art of the serious blockbuster – crafting smart, finely-tuned multiplex epics that demand attention; that can’t be watched anywhere other than in a cinema, uninterrupted, without distractions. But this, somehow, feels bigger.”

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