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- Christopher Nolan admits he cast his real-life daughter in Oppenheimer for a deeply emotional reason -TGN
Christopher Nolan admits he cast his real-life daughter in Oppenheimer for a deeply emotional reason -TGN
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Christopher Nolan cast his own daughter in a pivotal and gruesome scene in Oppenheimer, highlighting the destructive power of the atomic bomb.
Flora Nolan’s involvement is related to the film’s themes of risking the destruction of everything and helps Nolan understand Oppenheimer’s mindset.
The casting choice is a demonstration of Nolan’s dedication to the project and his willingness to pull out all the stops to sell the horrific impact of the atomic bomb.
Warning: The article contains SPOILERS for Oppenheimer.Christopher Nolan casts his real daughter for a gruesome scene Oppenheimer. The film tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s rise to infamy as the father of the atomic bomb. Nolan’s latest project is a big-budget biopic dedicated to fully exploring the complex and often contradictory life of Oppenheimer during his time as leader of the Manhattan Project and the years since.
Oppenheimer‘s cast is star-studded, but Nolan looked no further than his own family to film a brutal scene. When he needed a woman to melt her face from a nuclear explosion, Nolan asked his own daughter to sign up for the scene in her second on-screen appearance. In an interview with The TelegraphNolan explained why:
“We needed someone to do that small part of a somewhat experimental and spontaneous sequence, so it was great to just have her part in it. But yeah, I mean gosh, you’re not wrong. Frankly, I try not to analyze my own intentions. But the point is that if you create the ultimate destructive force, it will also destroy those you hold dear. So I guess that was my way of expressing that in what was the strongest possible terms for me.
Casting Flora Nolan for a role with her gruesome death might be seen as a cold-blooded move, but Nolan sees it as a boon to the movie. If Oppenheimer is about risking the destruction of everything, then Nolan really had to understand what that meant. Getting Flora involved was just how he could do it.
How Flora Nolan Oppenheimer’s casting helped
After some thought, Nolan manages to tie his daughter’s involvement back to the film’s themes. Oppenheimer is willing to make the atomic bomb, despite the fact that he can destroy everything he holds dear. Nolan is committed to getting into Oppenheimer’s mind, going so far as to use a first-person script for Oppenheimer. Casting his actual daughter as the woman whose face melts away during Oppenheimer’s hallucinations of the aftermath of the atomic bomb explosion is just another way to do it.
Nolan’s daughter previously appeared in Interstellar, another Nolan film, in a cameo role as a girl on a truck. That also contributes to the film’s message in many ways. Interstellar is all about a man trying to find a world where humanity – and his daughter – can live in relative safety. Like Oppenheimer puts Flora Nolan in a hugely terrifying role, Interstellar‘s precarious position for Flora gives Nolan and his characters a relatable motivation.
In a more practical light, the convenience of having a well-known actor is certainly another factor as well. Flora Nolan is already Christopher Nolan’s family, so convincing her to take the role would probably be easier than bringing in a less comfortable figure. Still, it just shows Nolan’s dedication. The director is always willing to pull out all the stops for his films, but he enlists Flora Nolan to do so Oppenheimer is more proof of his love for the project.
Source: The Telegraph