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Matt Damon portrayed the role of General Leslie Groves, the director of the Manhattan Project, in Christopher Nolan’s biopicOppenheimer. As per the bookAmerican Prometheus, which served as the basis for the film, Leslie Groves was depicted as a grumpy and unlikable character among scientists involved in the project. Damon’s co-star Emily Blunt suggested that his casting choice aimed to connect the audience with this character by having a likable actor in the role.
The interactions between Damon’s Groves and Cillian Murphy’s Robert Oppenheimer resonated well with the audience.Oppenheimerexceeded the expectations of its cast when the film grossed $954 million at the box office, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 2023.
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Emily Blunt Has An Explanation For Why Matt Damon Was Cast As Leslie Groves
Matt Damonhas been showing his versatility in various character roles in recent years, and hisOppenheimerrole was no exception. Damon was entrusted with a role that stood in stark contrast to his own character. TheGood Will Huntingactor discussed his role when he appeared for an interview with USA Today, alongsideEmily Blunt.
Damon shared his knowledge about the unpopular US Army officer tasked with overseeing J. Robert Oppenheimer’s creation of the atomic bomb. It was Leslie Groves who brought the physicist into the project, as shown in the film, but Groves and Oppenheimer frequently had arguments. Damon expressed admiration for howChristopher Nolanfound some comedy in Groves’s grumpy attitude. TheAiractor shared withUSA Today:
“They’re complete polar opposites. The military is obsessed with secrecy, and the scientists are trying to get to the root of the problem, which they do by sharing. Groves constantly felt like a kindergarten teacher chasing these guys around. So Chris found some comedy there, which is good for a movie about something so serious.”
Blunt suggested that Nolan intentionally cast Damon to create a connection between the audience and the unpopular character of Leslie Groves.The Devil Wears Pradaactress pointed out that Damon’s lovable character and natural warmth contributed to making the otherwise alienating character more relatable. Blunt shared:
“Maybe that’s why he cast you. Everyone loves you and you have a natural warmth. If you cast someone unlikable playing someone unlikable, it would’ve been (alienating).”
Damon’s role achieved what Blunt suggested, but theJason Bourneactor also did his homework for the role. According to Damon, the script was so good that he could have skipped the research completely. However, he chose to delve into the bookAmerican Prometheusand found a new level of appreciation for Nolan’s adaptation (via Digital Spy).
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Matt Damon Almost Took A Break From Films If It Was Not ForOppenheimer
Appearing on EW’sAround the Tablewith hisOppenheimerdirector and co-stars, Matt Damon revealed that he nearly took a hiatus from films before Christopher Nolan called him. He shared that he negotiated with his wife, Luciana Barroso, during couples therapy that he was going to take a break from Hollywood.
However, he placed one caveat that if Nolan were to call him for a film, he would immediately accept the role. Damon added that he didn’t know if Nolan was working on any projects at the time. Damon shared withEW:
“I had negotiated extensively with my wife that I was taking time off. I had been in Interstellar, and then Chris put me on ice for a couple of movies, so I wasn’t in the rotation, but I actually negotiated in couples therapy the one caveat to my taking time off was if Chris Nolan called. This is without knowing whether or not he was working on anything, because he never tells you. He just calls you out of the blue. And so, it was a moment in my household.”
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Oppenheimerlooks to bag several accolades in the upcoming awards season. Nolan’s biopic is now available for rent on AppleTV+.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3019
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
