Cillian Murphy says intimate scenes with Florence Pugh were 'crucial' in 'Oppenheimer'

Cillian Murphy got candid about his racy scenes in Oppenheimer featuring him with Florence Pugh and if they were "vital" to include in the film. 

Speaking with GQ Magazine, the A Quiet Place star said it was "awkward" for him to film the racy sequences in the movie, clarifying that “no one likes doing them."

"I think they were vital in this in this movie," Murphy said when asked if his provocative scenes in the biographical thriller were needed to tell the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer.

"I think the relationship that he has with [Pugh's character] Jean Tatlock is one of the most crucial emotional parts of the film. I think if they're key to the story then they're worthwhile,” he added.

"Listen, no one likes doing them,” the actor clarified, adding, “they're the most awkward possible part of our job. But sometimes you have to get on with it."

Previously, while speaking to Insider, the director of the film, Christopher Nolan, was asked if he was nervous regarding the reactions the racy scenes in the movie would get.

"Any time you're challenging yourself to work in areas you haven't worked in before, you should be appropriately nervous and appropriately careful and planned and prepared,” he said.

"When you look at Oppenheimer's life and you look at his story, that aspect of his life, the aspect of his sexuality, his way with women, the charm that he exuded, it's an essential part of his story," the acclaimed director added.

After the release of the film, Indian officials condemned the movie while urging the Oscar-nominated director to remove the scene from the film as it hurts sentiments of Hindu community.

Social media users took to Twitter to bash Nolan for the 15-minute sequence in the movie which also included their sacred book Bhagwad Geeta, saying he launched a “scathing attack on Hinduism.”