Cillian Murphy to receive actor’s award for his “stunning” ‘Oppenheimer’ performance

Cillian Murphy is set to receive a special actor’s award for his “stunning” performance in this year’s summer blockbuster Oppenheimer.

• READ MORE: ‘Oppenheimer’ review: Christopher Nolan’s mind-blowing biopic hits like a bomb to the brain

Murphy is set to receive the 2024 Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor, from the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

“Murphy gives a stunning portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer as a conflicted scientist leading the Manhattan Project to produce the world’s first atomic bomb,” said the festivals’ Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi (via Deadline).

“For this career-best performance, we are honoured to present the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor, to Cillian Murphy.”

Palm Springs will be announcing its annual awards list leading up to the festival, which runs from January 4-15 Los Angeles.

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Earlier this week (November 14), Christopher Nolan shared his thoughts on Oppenheimer‘s upcoming release on Blu-ray and digital, urging fans to opt for the former of the two options.

While introducing the film at a special screening in Los Angeles on Monday (November 13), Nolan took aim at streaming services while sharing more about his approach to releasing films on Blu-ray and other physical avenues.

Nolan said: “Obviously Oppenheimer has been quite a ride for us and now it is time for me to release a home version of the film. I’ve been working very hard on it for months. I’m known for my love of theatrical and put my whole life into that, but, the truth is, the way the film goes out at home is equally important.”

Nolan went on to explain that he goes to great lengths to reformat his films for Blu-ray, first beginning with The Dark Knight in 2008: “The Dark Knight was one of the first films where we formatted it specially for Blu-ray release because it was a new form at the time.”

In relation to Oppenheimer, Nolan said that he and his team have “put a lot of care and attention into the Blu-ray version… and trying to translate the photography and the sound, putting that into the digital realm.”

He went on to describe the Blu-ray version of Oppenheimer as “a version you can buy and own at home and put on a shelf so no evil streaming service can come steal it from you.”

While Oppenheimer is set to release on Blu-ray and other digital platforms on November 21, the film has yet to receive a date for streaming platforms.

Oppenheimer scored a glowing five-star review from NME upon its release in July. In the review, NME wrote that the film was “not just the definitive account of the man behind the atom bomb”, but a “monumental achievement in grown-up filmmaking”.​