Why The Cast Of Oppenheimer Looks So Familiar
Already being hailed as one of the year's best films, Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" assembles an all-star cast of some of Hollywood's most talented actors. Led by Cillian Murphy as Robert J. Oppenheimer — the man most responsible for the development of the first atomic bomb — the cast also includes heavyweights like Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon. But beyond those stars, there's a large ensemble of actors who pop up throughout the film, some of whom you may recognize, and others whom you may not be able to place right away.
To that end, we're taking a look at the cast of "Oppenheimer" with an eye on the actors who aren't so easy to identify. The esteemed cast of Nolan's latest features so many impressive stars that deserve recognition, especially in light of how unrecognizable some are in their roles. So light up the bunsen burner, put on your goggles, and prepare for a blast, because we're going to help you figure out why the cast of "Oppenheimer" looks so familiar.
Cillian Murphy
In the title role in "Oppenheimer" is Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who has appeared in a number of Christopher Nolan films before. This is his first time leading a Nolan film, though, as he's mostly played smaller supporting characters for the acclaimed director. These include three appearances as Dr. Jonathan Crane — AKA the Scarecrow — in the "Dark Knight" trilogy, his role as Fischer in "Inception," and a part in "Dunkirk" as a commanding officer suffering from PTSD.
If you don't recognize him in "Oppenheimer," though, don't feel bad, because Murphy lost a considerable amount of weight to play the renowned physicist. He hardly resembles his famous character Tommy Shelby, the gang leader in the smash hit BBC crime drama "Peaky Blinders," and it's been more than 20 years since Murphy starred in Danny Boyle's acclaimed zombie film "28 Days Later."
Sci-fi fans also may remember Murphy from Boyle's 2007 masterpiece "Sunshine," in which he plays scientist and astronaut Robert Capa, who builds a very different bomb designed to reignite the dying sun.
Florence Pugh
If you recognized the name Florence Pugh on the posters or in the trailers for "Oppenheimer," you probably don't need much introduction to her filmography. But if you went into the film cold, you might not have even recognized her bold look, a far cry from how the actress normally appears. She plays Jean Tatlock, Oppenheimer's lover who has connections to the Communist Party of the 1930s.
Pugh has starred in a number of prominent films, including the Olivia Wilde drama "Don't Worry Darling" with Harry Styles and Chris Pine. But wider audiences might remember her — with much longer hair – as Yelena Belova from Marvel's "Black Widow," a role she reprised for the Disney+ series "Hawkeye" alongside Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld.
Her breakout film, however, was "Midsommar," the psychological horror movie from writer-director Ari Aster, which she followed with a leading role in Greta Gerwig's "Little Women," earning an Academy Award nomination. She's not unknown to TV audiences either, with roles in "Marcella" and the AMC miniseries "The Little Drummer Girl."
Jack Quaid
Robert J. Oppenheimer was hardly the only scientist involved in the story of the first atomic bomb. A number of other famous physicists were part of the Manhattan Project, and the likes of Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr also feature in the film in small roles, played by Tom Conti and Kenneth Branagh, respectively. Robert Feynman also gets a significant part in "Oppenheimer." He's played by Jack Quaid, in a role that might feel like something of a departure to those who are familiar with his biggest work.
Quaid, the son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, currently stars as Hughie, the bumbling hero of Amazon's "The Boys." A raucous, no-holds-barred adult superhero parody, "The Boys" is famous for its over-the-top violence and borderline X-rated humor. Some audiences, though, might recognize Quaid's voice more than his face, because he also has the starring role as Ensign Boimler in the animated "Star Trek: Lower Decks" — a similarly raucous but far less gruesome adult comedy. It's a role he recently played in live-action, too, in an episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."
At the movies, Quaid has also appeared in 2022's "Scream" and Edgar Wright's "Logan Lucky" prior to "Oppenheimer."
Rami Malek
It's hard not to notice Rami Malek, given his distinctive look and the number of prominent films he's starred in through the years. In "Oppenheimer," he plays physicist David Hill, part of the Manhattan Project and a key part of the congressional hearings involving Lewis Strauss. Back in 2010, Malek played a different character fighting to stop the Axis Powers in World War II: Snafu in the HBO miniseries "The Pacific."
Malek's biggest TV role, of course, is Elliot Alderson, the cyber expert and hacker from "Mr. Robot." He's certainly no stranger to movies, either, and in 2019 he took home his first Oscar for the leading role of Freddie Mercury in the biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody." He's even seasoned as an antagonist, having portrayed "Bond" villain Lyutsifer Safin in "No Time to Die."
His recognizable mug isn't all you might know him for, because he's also done quite a bit of voice work. He played Chee-Chee alongside his "Oppenheimer" co-star Robert Downey Jr. in the much-maligned "Dolittle," voiced Flip McVicker in the Netflix original "BoJack Horseman," and portrayed Tahno in "The Legend of Korra."
Alden Ehrenreich
Christopher Nolan makes smart use of his sprawling cast of characters in "Oppenheimer," recruiting some of the most talented stars working who may not be getting the credit they deserve. One such actor is Alden Ehrenreich, who plays an aide to Robert Downey Jr.'s Lewis Strauss. Ehrenreich is most famous as the actor chosen to take over the role of Han Solo in the prequel film "Solo: A Star Wars Story" — a movie that sadly flopped at the box office.
But Ehrenreich's career started much earlier. He appeared in a 2005 episode of "Supernatural" before making a bigger impact as Ethan in "Beautiful Creatures." He's worked under a number of famous directors since, including Francis Ford Coppola on his indie project "Tetro" and Park Chan-wook on the 2013 thriller "Stoker." He also had a small role in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" before a standout performance in the Coen Brothers film "Hail Caesar!" as Hobie Doyle.
After "Solo," Ehrenreich took a five-year break from movies, during which time he starred in the Peacock series "Brave New World." He later returned to the big screen in 2023 with "Fair Play" and the viral hit "Cocaine Bear."
Olivia Thirlby
One of the women brought onto the Manhattan Project was chemist Lilli Hornig, played by Olivia Thirlby in "Oppenheimer." If you recognize her, it shouldn't come as a surprise, because she's been in plenty of TV shows and films. In 2012, she memorably played Judge Anderson opposite Karl Urban in the comic book action movie "Dredd," but that was hardly her first major movie.
In her screen debut, Thirlby appeared in the Paul Greengrass film "United 93," and a year later, she played Leah in "Juno." Over the years, she's also been a mainstay on the small screen, beginning with a recurring role in the NBC thriller "Kidnapped" with Jeremy Sisto, as well as in the HBO comedy "Bored to Death" in 2009. Her first time as a series regular, though, came in 2016, when she joined Billy Bob Thornton and Maria Bello in "Goliath" for Amazon, where she played lawyer Lucy Kittridge. After a short stint on "The L Word: Generation Q," Thirlby next starred in the short-lived comic book adaptation "Y: The Last Man" in 2021.
David Krumholtz
For the cast of "Oppenheimer," Christopher also pulled some names whose biggest work is on television, and that includes David Krumholtz. He plays one of the many scientists in the film, Isidor Isaac Rabi, who later won a Nobel Prize in physics for discovering nuclear resonance, an integral component in microwave ovens.
Though Krumholtz might not be a name that many people know, he did star in "Numb3rs," one of the biggest TV hits of the 2000s. There he played Charlie Eppes, a mathematics prodigy who works with his FBI agent brother Don (Rob Morrow) to solve crimes that the agency just can't seem to crack. He followed that up with the failed sitcom "Partners" and recurring roles on "The Good Wife," "The League," and "Men at Work." At the movies, he might be best known as Head Elf Bernard in "The Santa Clause" and its sequel, a role he reprised for a cameo in the Disney+ revival in 2022.
James D'Arcy
British actor James D'arcy has worked with Christopher Nolan before, though you might not instantly recall him as Col. Winnant in 2017's "Dunkirk." In "Oppenheimer," he plays Patrick Blackett, a British physicist. If you did recognize D'Arcy in the role, it may have been from his time in the MCU. There he played Jarvis, the butler of Tony Stark's father Howard in the ABC series "Agent Carter," and in a cameo in the 2019 blockbuster, "Avengers: Endgame." That's hardly his only notable role, though.
Viewers of British TV will no doubt know him from "Broadchurch" alongside David Tennant, or the 2022 mystery "Deadline." His role as Blackett isn't the first historical part for him either, as he played Jock Colville in the HBO Winston Churchill drama "Into the Storm." Other big titles you might know him from include "Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World" (playing Lt. Pullings), "Cloud Atlas" (as Rufus Sixsmith), and his recurring TV role as Anson on "Homeland."
David Dastmalchian
If you've seen any movies over the past few years, there's a high likelihood you've seen David Dastmalchian. He plays lawyer William L. Borden in "Oppenheimer," but it seems like he's showing up everywhere these days. That includes roles in no fewer than five other films in 2023. Among them are "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," as well as Hulu's "Boston Strangler" and the indie horror movie "Late Night with the Devil" from the writer-director duo of Cameron and Colin Cairnes.
That doesn't even mention his role in "The Suicide Squad" in 2021, in which he plays the troubled Polka-Dot Man, or his part as Piter De Vries in Denis Villeneuve's "Dune." He even has a small role in "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story." If you know him from earlier film roles, it might be from playing Coco in "Blade Runner 2049," or for his small part as Schiff in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight."
Dastmalchian has appeared on TV in plenty of places too, with his recurring role as Murdoc in the new "MacGyver" being a standout, as well as his role in "Reprisal."
Jason Clarke
He may not be quite as prolific on screen as some of his co-stars, but Jason Clarke has been in a number of high-profile films over the years that you'd know him from. He's one of those actors who play big roles in big movies but rarely get the top billing or attention of his more well-known co-stars. So if you watched "Oppenheimer" and wondered where you'd seen the actor playing Robert Robb — because you know you have but can't place the face — worry not.
Clarke most notably starred in the Matt Reeves sci-fi sequel "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" in 2014 as Malcolm, one of the rare humans to form a friendship with the chimp Caesar. Just a year later, he took a leading role in another major sci-fi sequel, "Terminator Genisys," where he played the adult John Connor, taking over for Christian Bale, who'd played the role in "Terminator: Salvation." Earlier films you might recognize Clarke from also include "Zero Dark Thirty," "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," and "Public Enemies," where he played gangster Red Hamilton. He recently played NBA great Jerry West in HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty."
Michael Angarano
Moviegoers may be less familiar with Michael Angarano, but those audiences who are familiar with one of today's biggest TV hits surely recognize his face. Anganaro, who plays physicist and Manhattan Project contributor Robert Serber in "Oppenheimer," had a recurring role in the award-winning drama series "This is Us." There he played a younger version of Nicky Pearson, the uncle of Kevin, Kate, and Randall. But if you grew up in the early 2000s, you almost certainly know him for playing the role of Will Stronghold in the Disney superhero movie "Sky High" with Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
In between "Sky High" and "This is Us," Angarano kept busy, appearing in movies like "The Forbidden Kingdom" and "Lords of Dogtown." But most of his acting was on TV, with roles in the short-lived "Cover Me" alongside Cameron Richardson and "Will & Grace," where he had a recurring role as Elliot, returning for the 2017 revival.
James Remar
Another one of those actors who's been around the block and appeared in tons of iconic films and TV shows, James Remar plays U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stimson in "Oppenheimer." Often, Remar has played grizzled, no-nonsense types, and he was famously the original actor chosen to play Corporal Hicks in James Cameron's "Aliens." As for movies he did appear in, look no further than the cult classic "The Warriors," in which he plays Ajax, and "48 Hrs.," where he portrays the film's villain, Albert Ganz.
Those were decades ago, though, so you'd be forgiven for not realizing he's the same actor from "Oppenheimer." Remar's more recent appearances include "Gotham," where he had a recurring role as Frank Gordon, and "Black Lightning," where he was part of the main cast, playing Peter Gambi. In the 1990s, he was a mainstay on TV, with iconic guest parts in episodes of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Walker: Texas Ranger." His most famous part, though, is certainly that of the titular character's father Harry Morgan in Showtime's "Dexter."
Dane DeHaan
The Manhattan Project needed all kinds, and Kenneth Nichols was a civil engineer who made his own contribution to the efforts. He is played by Dane DeHaan in "Oppenheimer," and while his role is a small one in the film, DeHaan has quite an impressive filmography, with plenty of movies and TV shows you'd remember him from. It was in 2012 that he had his career-altering role, playing Andrew Detmer in Josh Trank's indie superhero movie "Chronicle" — the same movie that helped lift Michael B. Jordan to stardom.
It was another superhero adventure that brought DeHaan to superstar status, though, when he took the role of Harry Osborn — Peter Parker's best friend — in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." He later tried his hand at big-budget sci-fi, starring in the title role of "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" in 2017. After having a recurring role in "In Treatment" in 2010, DeHaan starred in "ZeroZeroZero" for Amazon and "The Stranger" for Quibi in 2020. He also starred alongside Colin Firth in the Max miniseries "The Staircase" in 2022.
Casey Affleck
Some audiences may know him better simply for his connection to his more famous brother Ben Affleck, but Casey Affleck has had quite a career of his own. He plays military officer Boris Pash in "Oppenheimer," but what some may not even realize is that he has one thing his brother doesn't: an Oscar for best actor. He took it home for "Manchester by the Sea," the drama from writer-director Kenneth Lonergan that also won best original screenplay.
Starting out in "To Die For" with Nicole Kidman and Joaquin Phoenix, he had small roles in his brother's films "Chasing Amy" and "Good Will Hunting" before building a successful career with parts in "Ocean's Eleven" and its sequels, playing Virgil Malloy. He later played the titular Ford in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." He's also teamed with Christopher Nolan before, playing Tom Cooper in "Interstellar." In 2022, he starred alongside Zooey Deschanel and Walton Goggins in the Bill Pohlad film "Dreamin' Wild," in which he plays real-life musician Donnie Emerson.
Josh Hartnett
There was a time when Josh Hartnett was one of the hottest rising stars on the scene. Unfortunately, a few flops sullied his career, and he had a hard time recovering. That included Hartnett passing on the role of Bruce Wayne in "Batman Begins." But "Oppenheimer" finally gives Hartnett his chance to team up with Christopher Nolan, playing physicist Ernest Lawrence. If you didn't recognize him, don't feel bad, because it's been quite a while since he starred in a major motion picture like this.
When he was at his hottest, though, Hartnett was seemingly everywhere. He led teen horror movies like "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later" and "The Faculty" in the late '90s and war movies like "Black Hawk Down" and "Pearl Harbor" in 2001. In 2005, he was able to recover from the disastrous "Hollywood Homicide" opposite Harrison Ford with a bit part in "Sin City," before leading Brian De Palma's "The Black Dahlia" a year after. He had a leading role in "Lucky Number Slevin" before a downturn in his career that, with the help of "Oppenheimer," may finally be coming to an end.