Who played Albert Einstein in Oppenheimer?

Oppenheimer, the twelfth feature film directed by Christopher Nolan, has finally seen the light of day and received rave reviews. As befits Nolan, the film features an all-star ensemble cast. Cillian Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, an American theoretical physicist dubbed “the father of the atomic bomb.” Murphy was joined by Robert Downey Jr as Lewis Strauss, Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock and Matt Damon as Leslie Groves Jr. The film tells the story of Oppenheimer, director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II’s Manhattan Project, and his involvement in the development of the atomic bomb.

Oppenheimer’s epic casting doesn’t end there. Oppenheimer’s film, which the internet considers an unofficial competitor to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, features familiar names such as Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, David Dastmalchian, Dane DeHaan, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Angarano, Jack Quaid, Nickelodeon star Josh Peck and Gary Oldman as President Harry S. Truman.

Oppenheimer considers not only the historical events that led to the creation of weapons, but also the great seriousness of the ethical discussion that unfolded around the Manhattan Project. One of the most active participants in this discussion was Albert Einstein, a German-born theoretical physicist best known for his theory of relativity. In Oppenheimer, the role of Albert Einstein is played by Tom Conti, who came to Nolan’s last event after a long and successful career.

History of Albert Einstein before World War II

Albert Einstein, born in 1879 in the German Empire, is known throughout the world as one of the most influential thinkers of all time. In 1921 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in theoretical physics, in particular for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. His theory of relativity, published in installments between 1905 and 1915, laid the foundation for our understanding of gravity and its role in nature. Special relativity describes the laws and behavior of physical phenomena in the absence of gravity, while general relativity deals with the forces of natural law, giving an explanation for the law of universal gravitation.

Before the publication of the theory of relativity, Einstein studied and worked in Switzerland, where he received Swiss citizenship and a Ph.D. Returning to Germany, he worked for almost two decades as director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics, and then received the Nobel Prize mentioned above. In 1933, Einstein renounced German citizenship and went to America, opposing the rise to power of Adolf Hitler.

What was Albert Einstein’s role in the Manhattan Project?

In 1939, Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt in which he wanted to warn the US government about possible German nuclear research. Einstein argued that with the latest advances in fission research, fission chain reactions could generate an unprecedented amount of energy, and using that energy to build a bomb was both possible and catastrophically dangerous. He believed that the German powers were actively engaged in such research and urged the US government to do the same. This warning is widely regarded as one of the key events that launched the doomsday clock and the race for atomic energy.

In 1940, Albert Einstein was denied admission to the Manhattan Project because of his outward pacifist sentiments. Thus, Einstein played no role in the development of the atomic bomb as part of the Manhattan Project, other than contributing in part to its development by voicing his concerns to the US government. In the same year that he was denied admission, Einstein officially became a US citizen, where he continued to work for the rest of his life, and then died in 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey. Before his death, Einstein often advocated the proliferation of nuclear weapons among world powers and even expressed deep regret that he had written a letter to Roosevelt encouraging the United States to explore atomic energy. In an interview after the end of World War II, Einstein admitted: “If I had known that the Germans would not succeed in building an atomic bomb, I would not have done anything for it .”

Who is Tom Conti?

Scottish actor and veteran of the stage and screen, Tom Conti plays the role of a prolific scientist with countless awards to his credit. Co-starring with David Bowie in the 1983 film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in 1984 for his portrayal of Reuben, Conti has made film and television appearances for decades and across continents. . Above all, however, Conti is a stage performer. Appearing in acclaimed productions on the West End and Broadway in New York, Conti for her role in Whose Life Is It? was awarded the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. But, perhaps, the most true fans of peak cinema will remember Conti for his role as Judge Gerald Biggleswade in Paddington II, one of the greatest films of all time.

Tom Conti and Christopher Nolan have worked together before

Despite the fact that Tom Conti shows off quite a lot of hair and makeup in the Oppenheimer trailer, attentive eyes recognize Conti from Christopher Nolan’s previous work. At the climax of Nolan’s Batman trilogy, Conti appeared in the 2012 film
The Dark Knight Rises as a mere “prisoner”. However, his role was far from simple. As a fellow prisoner in the cave prison that Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne found himself in, Conti’s character was the catalyst that pushed Bruce to his lowest point, leading him to escape and ultimately redeem himself before his triumphant encounter with Tom Hardy’s Bane.