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3. Three Months Of Work Went Into One Dutch Moment - Oppenheimer
As the titular star of Christopher Nolan's latest big-screen epic, Cillian Murphy always knew he was set for one of the most challenging experiences of his career so far. But it was one specific scene in this year's thrilling Oppenheimer biographical drama that truly left him dealing with feelings of dread during the making of the picture.
At one point in the film, J. Robert Oppenheimer is found delivering a physics lecture in Dutch. But rather than using some clever movie magic tricks to make it appear as though Murphy was uttering the language himself, the actor genuinely had to spend months learning precisely what Oppenheimer needed to say for the little scene.
And as noted in the Unleashing Oppenheimer: Inside Christopher Nolan’s Explosive Atomic-Age Thriller book (via NME), Murphy ended up turning to the director's long-time cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema for help, with the man behind the camera himself being Dutch.
After recording and slowing down Hoytema speaking the dialogue in Dutch, the actor then spent three months learning it phonetically.
Murphy also claims he can still recite the Dutch speech today after practising the moment so many times. And it just goes to show that some of the smallest moments in the biggest features can takes months of dedicated preparation to bring to life.