Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer is getting all the praise it deserves for the brilliant choice of cast led by Cillian Murphy. However, Nolan has just revealed that the sweeping historical epic will also feature his daughter, Flora Nolan.
Oppenheimer will tell the complete life story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, and subsequently chronicle the consequences of his actions. In an interview with The Telegraph, Nolan recently revealed that his eldest child, Flora Nolan, will also make a small appearance in his upcoming film. The Inception director revealed how Flora simply came to spend a week on the set of his forthcoming film last Spring, and ended up with a dreadful cameo role.
He recalled how the idea to give the still-vacant role of a nameless young woman to his daughter came spontaneously to his mind when he saw her:
“We needed someone to do that small part of a somewhat experimental and spontaneous sequence, so it was wonderful to just have her sort of roll with it.”
Flora will make a terrifying cameo in a scene where Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) witnesses a woman’s flesh being torn from her face by a piercing white light in a terrifying vision. Casting your own daughter in such a hellish sequence does not seem like a conscious choice, but Nolan gave a somewhat logical reason behind his decision.
“Truthfully, I try not to analyze my own intentions. But the point is that if you create the ultimate destructive power it will also destroy those who are near and dear to you. So I suppose this was my way of expressing that in what, to me, were the strongest possible terms.”
Nolan then makes a lighthearted allusion to Michael Powell, who in the 1960 movie Peeping Tom cast his own nine-year-old son as the young version of a serial killer and himself as the boy’s cruel father, demonstrating that he is still cognizant of how his choice may be interpreted. He chuckles, “I hope you’re not going to make me sound like Michael Powell on Peeping Tom.”
The 52-year-old director has four children with his wife and producer Emma Thomas. Though he maintains mystery about his work from a media standpoint, Nolan seems to discuss his ideas with his children. He recalled talking to his family about an early draft of Oppenheimer in 2021,
“…and one of my sons literally said to me, ‘But Dad, nobody worries about that anymore.’ My response at the time was to think, ‘Well, you probably should,’ and that became a reason for me to make the film. Then came Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the specter of nuclear war returned. And of course, my son’s not saying that anymore.”
It seems apparent that Nolan shares a warm and fruitful relationship with his children. While casting his daughter in a cameo might have earned the film a few brownie points, as the viewing audience will get to see Nolan’s daughter in the spotlight for the first time, his choice of role to give her is certainly debatable.
Oppenheimer also stars Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh. Catch the epic thriller only in theaters this July 21.