‘Oppenheimer' star Cillian Murphy listens to ‘jokes' to focus on work

Intense roles can be grueling—and, for, Cillian Murphy these kinds of characters are the hallmark of his career. So, during those roles, the actor said he needed lightness on the set to tackle them -- rib-tickling jokes are part of it.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, the Batman Begins star said he “can’t work unless there’s a lightness around the set,” noting, “There has to be some levity. A lot of the films I do are quite heavy and go to some dark, challenging places, and you have to be relaxed to do that.”

He continued, “So I don’t walk around in a state of *** angst. I need to feel at ease. I can’t be in that dark place all the time. I don’t have the stamina for it.”

In Oppenheimer, he played one of his career’s most serious roles. So, to make himself feel light on set; the Irish actor revealed he turned to Emily Blunt, who played his on-screen wife Kitty.

Crediting her jokes, Cillian called her “one of the funniest people” he’s met as the pair struck up a close bond during filming.