‘She refused to conform to the feminine ideal of the time’: Emily Blunt reveals what drew her to her ‘Oppenheimer’ role

We’re just a week and a half out from Oppenheimer‘s rousing debut in cinemas, and to paraphrase the in-film theoretical physicist, the world will remember the day they saw Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus. Indeed, fascination for biopics often stems from their ability to present history through the heightened lens of many collaborative creatives, and with respect to that, the gloves are coming off like never before.

Few have changed the course of history quite like the father of the atomic bomb, and the many turbulent years leading up to and following that aforementioned impact will be nothing short of emotionally burdensome. But Oppenheimer wasn’t the only player in his own story, and one Emily Blunt will be shoring up the top of the call sheet as Kitty Oppenheimer, the wife of the eponymous scientist.

Blunt is no stranger to taking on meaty roles, of course, and Kitty was no exception. In a behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast of Oppenheimer, Blunt broke down the nuances behind Kitty, noting how her character harbors a deep anger for the political system that reflects in her refusal to conform to “the feminine ideal of the time.”

With Kitty Oppenheimer, what I really was drawn to is she refused to conform to the feminine ideal of the time. She had this defiance against the system that felt so modern.

A card-carrying member of the Communist Party of America in her time, Kitty was something of a maverick, and we have no doubt that Blunt will be pulling more than enough weight in helping Oppenheimer achieve its remarkable ambitions with this ever-important portrayal.

Oppenheimer is due in theaters on July 21.