"It Reminded Me Of Heath Ledger's Joker," Christopher Nolan Reacts To Cillian Murphy Best Actor Nomination At The Oscars 2024

Christopher Nolan's 2023 blockbuster, Oppenheimer, garnered the highest 13 nominations at the Oscars 2024. The biographical drama is favourite to win many of them, but most importantly, it is looking to grab the major categories.

Christopher Nolan is nominated in the Best Director category, while Oppenheimer is nominated for Best Picture. The lead actor, Cillian Murphy, who played J. Robert Oppenheimer, is also a favourite to win the Best Actor Award. Soon after Murphy's nomination was announced, Nolan recalled those on-set memories and how they reminded him of Heath Ledger from The Dark Knight, who won Best Supporting Actor for the role of the Joker.

During a conversation with Variety, Nolan shared, "It was really in the hair and makeup tests, which we shoot on Imax and in black-and-white. You start to see the actor bringing an icon to life, putting the hat on and the cigarette in the corner of his mouth. You're starting to see how he moves. It’s a thrilling moment. It is in every film. Seeing Cillian put this iconography together reminded me of my hair and makeup tests with Heath Ledger for the Joker (in The Dark Knight)."