Oppenheimer's Emily Blunt says Cillian Murphy 'smashed head open' while sleeping
Emily Blunt revealed her Oppenheimer co-star Cillian Murphy accidentally 'smashed his head open' during a good night's sleep.
The Devils Wear Prada star, 41, joined her co-stars Cillian, 47, and Robert Downey Jr., 58, on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last month. At one point, she revealed a special pillow she bought for Irish icon Cillian caused him to suffer a head injury in the middle of the night. She noticed the leading man was in dire need of sleep while filming the award-winning movie about the creation of the atomic bomb.
Speaking to host Jimmy, she said: "I just felt Cillian needed, even more than food, was sleep on this movie. So I got him this very beautiful pillow that I'm obsessed with these pillows, it's a Hästens pillow. I gave him this pillow, but… do you mind if I tell the story?" she asked Cillian.
Emily went on: "He was really luxuriating in this pillow one night, and he woke up in the middle of the night, this is what he told me the next day. And he went to fluff himself back down in the pillow, misjudged where it was, and smashed his head open on the bedside table. So he came to work, and they had to glue his head shut!"
Cillian was "shocked" by the sudden injury. He said: "I was having a great sleep, and I had this amazing pillow, strange bed, strange table, [and] bang." Thankfully, the movie's makeup artist Luisa Abel was able to hide the cut before they continued filming the next day. We were getting up before it was bright, like at 2 a.m. or something, 3 a.m. So I called her then, and I just came in, and then she glued my head, and covered it all up, and you don't even see it in the movie, I think," Cillian recalled of the accident.
Unexpected royal starred in Hollywood film due to her likeness to Queen VictoriaThe Peaky Blinders star looked extremely different when he transformed into the "emaciated" J Robert Oppenheimer last summer. Oppenheimer, released in July 2023, follows the scientist as he developed the first atomic bomb as part of the secret Manhattan Project. Cillian lost a lot of weight to look like the renowned physicist, using techniques such as eating "an almond a day".
He previously revealed it took more than five months to get into character. "I love acting with my body, and Oppenheimer had a very distinct physicality and silhouette, which I wanted to get right," he said in an interview. "I had to lose quite a bit of weight, and we worked with the costume and tailoring; he was very slim, almost emaciated, and existed on martinis and cigarettes." Cillian said he worked with professionals to perfect Oppenheimer's "silhouette and expressions" right before filming. Speaking to the New York Times, he said he tested himself on how little he could eat before advising against the extreme diet.