Cillian Murphy on Why He Appreciated Emily Blunt’s Humor on ‘Oppenheimer’ Set: “One of the Funniest People”

has revealed a very important rule he has when he’s on set filming. During an interview with the , published online Tuesday, the actor said he “can’t work unless there’s a lightness around the set,” especially since he typically takes on more serious roles. “There has to be some levity,” Murphy explained.

“A lot of the films I do are quite heavy and go to some dark, challenging places, and you have to be relaxed to do that. So I don’t walk around in a state of fucking angst. I need to feel at ease. I can’t be in that dark place all the time. I don’t have the stamina for it.” It was particularly important while filming one of his most recent projects, Christopher Nolan’s , where Murphy portrayed American scientist J.

Robert Oppenheimer in the story of how he developed the atomic bomb. During heavy days on set, the actor said there was one co star he knew he could always turn to, who would make him laugh. He called , who played Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty, in the film, “one of the funniest people” he’s met, which helped create a close friendship between them.

Overall, it was a busy but also rewarding year for both of them, especially since they were a part of the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, with and Greta Gerwig’s releasing in theaters on the same weekend in July. “To be part of a movie that people went to see multiple times and part of a great moment for cinema, that frenzy for those two films, was just lovely,” Murphy said of the whole experience.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever see it again, but I’d like to hope so.” THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter.