Why did Christopher Nolan cast Emily Blunt? 'Oppenheimer' director informed John Kransinki about her role on elevator ride
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: John Krasinski lend an unexpected helping hand to his wife, Emily Blunt, in securing her role in the film 'Oppenheimer.' Her co-star and neighbor, Matt Damon, shared this intriguing detail during a recent interview. Damon disclosed that the incident occurred shortly after director Christopher Nolan visited their apartment complex. It appears that Krasinski played an important part in Blunt's role in the movie.
"He came to our apartment building to meet with me, and he already knew that he was gonna go to Emily with the other part," Damon told E News. "But he literally didn't because he didn't want to seem like he was only going to one building to cast the entire movie."
'Give this to your wife'
However, according to Blunt, Nolan unexpectedly encountered Krasinski when they "bumped into each other in the elevator." "And he said, 'I was about to come to you for the part, but I didn't want it to be offensive,'" Blunt recalled the director telling Krasinski, before adding, "'Oh, by the way, while you're here, give this to your wife.'"
Why did Christopher Nolan cast Emily Blunt?
Nolan expressed his long-standing desire to collaborate with the 'Quiet Place' actress stating that he had wanted to work with her "for a long time." He specifically envisioned Blunt as the perfect fit for the role of Kitty Oppenheimer, the wife of scientist J Robert Oppenheimer, portrayed on screen by Cillian Murphy. Nolan's admiration for Blunt's acting abilities and his belief in her suitability for the character played a significant role in casting her for the role in the film.
"I've met her a couple of times over the years, and I really felt like she would connect with this character," he added. "Kitty Oppenheimer is a very, very complicated person. And Emily, just as one of the great actors of her generation, is just able to tap into all of the things that are so marvelously challenging about this person and about the relationship with Oppenheimer."
Speaking about her character, Kitty, Blunt said, "There was something flighty and wild and nonconformist about her. It was a time where contortions were happening to women, as they tried to kind of mould themselves into perfect housewives. But Kitty was a terrible mother and she wasn’t a very good housewife – and had no desire to be one." She continued, "a lot of women with great minds – that brilliant brain gone to waste at the ironing board. I know so many women of a certain age who are angry at their lives being defined by being someone’s mummy or someone’s wife. And I have empathy for that. It’s OK that that’s not enough for them."