Emily Blunt praises Cillian Murphy’s Coster Oppenheimer and explains why people are ‘fascinated’ by him

Emily Blunt had a lot of nice things to say about her Oppenheimer co-star Cillian Murphy at the 96th Oscar Nominees Luncheon in Beverly Hills. The ensemble of Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed film reunited for an exclusive group interview with People magazine during the event, where Blunt opened up about Murphy’s quiet personality, which she finds equally charming.

Emily Blunt praises Cillian Murphy and thanks him for Oppenheimer’s success

Speaking during the aforementioned group interview, Emily Blunt told her Oppenheimer co-star, “You are so deserving of respect.”

She continued: “And you are the quiet conductor in all of this. You’re not going to be—it’s not in your nature to want to lead—but I think there’s something just charming about you, whether you like it or not, that captivates people.”

Paying tribute to Murphy Oppenheimer, Emily added: “And it is. As much as you like to say, ‘It’s all because of (director) Chris Nolan,’ why people are so fascinated by this movie, that’s you.”

Robert Downey Jr. echoes Emily Blunt’s sentiments about Murphy

During the same conversation, Robert Downey Jr., who plays Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer, made it clear to Killian: “You were created and born to be at the forefront of big cinematic events.”

He then joked about the reception Oppenheimer’s team received during the Q&A. “I come and hear the typical phrase: “This is Tony Stark, but now he’s bald.” Killian enters and people start to stand up. “Chris comes in, everyone’s up.”

Cillian Murphy is nominated for the first time at the upcoming Oscars in the Best Actor category for his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer. Meanwhile, Emily Blunt is up for best supporting actress for her role as her on-screen wife Kitty Oppenheimer. Robert Downey Jr. is also up for an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the film.

Oppenheimer is currently streaming on Peacock.

The 96th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 10. It will air live on ABC at 7:00 pm ET.