Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer is a biopic that focuses on J. Robert Oppenheimer and his involvement in the Manhattan Project during World War II. Let’s meet the cast and how much they are worth.
Julius Robert Oppenheimer was an American theoretical physicist and director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II.
He is often credited as the “father of the atomic bomb” for his role in organizing the Manhattan Project, the research and development undertaking that created the first nuclear weapons.
He died on February 18, 1967, in Princeton, New Jersey, United States.
Following his death in 1967, the world is gaining insight into the highly-polarizing life of J. Robert Oppenheimer decades later.
Christopher Nolan’s Certified Fresh Oppenheimer details the creation of nuclear weaponry that ended World War II and killed approximately 200,000 civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Inspired by real events that occurred in the theoretical physicist’s life, the film features characters who are well-known professional actors in Hollywood, including multiple Oscar winners and nominees.
Ranging from rising stars to veteran actors, the eclectic mix of performers provides both marquee value and incredible acting chops. Below, we have compilled the list of the cast and their current net worth as of 2023.
Oppenheimer cast net worth
10. Florence Pugh – $8 Million
At just 26 years old, Florence Pugh has already established herself as one of the most exciting young actors today. Fresh off her Oscar-nominated performance in Little Women, Pugh takes on the role of Jean Tatlock, a psychiatrist and communist sympathizer who has an affair with Oppenheimer. Though early in her career, Pugh’s net worth is estimated to be around $8 million thanks to significant roles in acclaimed films like Midsommar and Black Widow. Her paycheck for Oppenheimer is rumored to be about $1 Million.
9. Rami Malek – $20 Million
After winning an Oscar for his electrifying performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami Malek joined the A-list cast of Oppenheimer as a scientist called David Hill. The versatile actor has shown his dramatic chops in projects like Mr. Robot and No Time to Die. Malek’s net worth sits at approximately $20 million, accumulated through his varied filmography over the past decade. His casting in Oppenheimer demonstrates his status as one of today’s most sought-after actors.
8. Cillian Murphy – $20 Million
The lead actor playing J. Robert Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy, has been Christopher Nolan’s go-to actor since Batman Begins. Their long-standing collaboration highlights Nolan’s faith in Murphy’s ability to deliver intense, complex performances. Cillian’s work on blockbusters like Inception, The Dark Knight trilogy, as well as BBC’s Peaky Blinders, have steadily grown Murphy’s fortune to around $20 million. Murphy drew a $10 Million paycheck for the titular role in Nolan’s magnum opus, according to Fandom Wire.
7. Josh Hartnett – $25 Million
Once a Hollywood heartthrob in the late 90s and early 2000s, Josh Hartnett makes his return to blockbuster films as scientist Ernest Lawrence. Hartnett rose to fame in movies like Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down before stepping back from the limelight. Now in his early 40s, Hartnett’s net worth is estimated to be $25 million as per Celebrity Net Worth. Oppenheimer marks Hartnett’s return to big-budget movies after years of indie films and TV work.
6. Casey Affleck – $30 Million
A previous collaborator with Christopher Nolan on Interstellar, Casey Affleck is an acclaimed actor in his own right. With an Oscar win for Manchester by the Sea, Affleck has proven himself to be one of the finest actors of his generation. With a net worth of $30 million, Affleck remains one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation. Affleck takes on the role of an army officer Boris Pash in Oppenheimer, further elevating its ensemble of acclaimed actors.
5. Gary Oldman – $40 Million
One of the most celebrated British actors in Hollywood, Gary Oldman, is known for his chameleon-like ability to disappear into virtually any role. The Oscar winner for Darkest Hour takes on the part of iconic ex-POTUS Harry S. Truman. Oldman’s acclaimed career has seen him inhabit iconic roles like Sid Vicious, Dracula, and Winston Churchill. Given his unparalleled credibility, Oldman has drawn lucrative salaries of $3 Million for The Dark Knight and $5 Million for Lost In Space. With a net worth estimated at $40 million, Oldman remains one of the most distinguished actors working today, according to Wealthy Gorilla.
4. Kenneth Branagh – $60 Million
Sir Kenneth Branagh is an acclaimed actor and director who brings his gravitas to Oppenheimer as the iconic scientist Niels Bohr. With a net worth of approximately $60 million, Branagh has transitioned from his early Shakespearean work to blockbusters like Thor and Murder on the Orient Express. As one of the most respected names in Hollywood, Branagh is expected to put forth a powerful portrayal as an acclaimed scientist.
3. Emily Blunt – $80 Million
British superstar Emily Blunt plays Katherine ‘Kitty’ Oppenheimer, wife of the titular scientist. Blunt has proven herself as a versatile talent in films like A Quiet Place, Mary Poppins Returns, and The Devil Wears Prada. She is currently one of the highest-paid actresses on the planet earning over $22 Million between 2019 to 2020. Blunt’s net worth sits around $80 million thanks to her varied roles and multi-million dollar paychecks.
2. Matt Damon – $170 Million
One of the biggest stars in Oppenheimer is Matt Damon, who plays Manhattan Project scientist Leslie Groves. Damon is Hollywood royalty, accredited to his roles in films like Good Will Hunting, The Bourne franchise, Interstellar, Saving Private Ryan, and The Martian. Apart from being an Oscar-nominated actor, Damon is also one of the highest-paid actors in the world. He earned a staggering $87 million from his role in the four Bourne movies, significantly boosting his net worth to an estimated $170 Million, according to Cosmopolitan.
1. Robert Downey Jr. – $300 Million
The biggest net worth by far belongs to Robert Downey Jr, who clocks in at a whopping $300 million. The Iron Man star plays the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Lewis Strauss. Downey Jr’s casting demonstrates the enormous star power assembled for Oppenheimer. As one of the highest-paid actors in the world, Downey Jr drew a rumored paycheck of $4 Million for the movie. Apart from his role in Iron Man, the BAFTA-winning actor is known for his roles in iconic films like Sherlock Holmes, Chaplin, and The Judge to name a few.
With its incredible cast and legendary director, Oppenheimer looks primed to capture the story of one of the most pivotal events in modern history. While the acting abilities of the stars will bring the characters to life, their impressive net worths show the monumental effort to assemble such a star-studded ensemble. With its mix of dramatic gravitas and A-list talent, Oppenheimer promises to be one of the most unforgettable films of the year.
SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
‘Oppenheimer’ is entirely based on a true story, as well as on a book.
Oppenheimer is a biographical story inspired by a novel about its central character. In the case of Oppenheimer, writer-director Christopher Nolan took his inspiration from the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. However, that book is based on the true story of Robert J. Oppenheimer’s life.
Robert J. Oppenheimer, played in the film by Cillian Murphy, is known today as the “father of the atomic bomb,” but he was a much more complex character. He wasn’t just an evil warmonger excited to bomb Hiroshima. In fact, he was more likely the opposite. But his gray areas of morality make him a perfect titular character.
Christopher even said to Total Film magazine (via Games Radar), “I think of any character I’ve dealt with, Oppenheimer is by far the most ambiguous and paradoxical. Which, given that I’ve made three Batman films, is saying a lot.” It sure is!
Oppenheimer is now a household name because of his leadership on the Manhattan Project. Without him, the hundreds of thousands of civilians who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki may have lived much longer. But he’s lauded as a complicated figure; without the atomic bomb, the war would have likely lasted much longer and taken many other lives (although probably not as many innocent lives).
Regardless, Oppenheimer may have been unaware of exactly how the atomic bomb would be used when he built it. At first, he and the team were told they were in a race against Nazi Germany’s nuclear weapon development. But when Germany surrendered before either developed the weapon, the atomic bomb’s use was less clear.
SOURCE: UNIVERSAL
After the devastating bombings in Japan, Oppenheimer spent much of his life advocating against using nuclear weapons. He was so far left politically that he was actually stripped of his security clearance during the Red Scare. In addition, probes into his personal life to see if he had Communist ties led to the publicity of his affair with Jean Tatlock, who suffered from depression and took her own life amid their affair.