Christopher Nolan was reminded of Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight when making Oppenheimer. The director recently revealed his reaction to seeing Cillian Murphy as the physicist in his epic.

No jokes here

Oppenheimer poster with Oscars trophy and Cillian Murphy.

Speaking to Variety, Nolan shared his reaction to seeing Murphy in the role for the first time. This came after Murphy landed his first Oscar nomination for the performance.

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“It was really in the hair and makeup tests, which we shoot on IMAX and in black-and-white,” Nolan recalled about his first time seeing Murphy. “You start to see the actor bringing an icon to life, putting the hat on, the cigarette in the corner of his mouth. You’re starting to see how he moves. It’s a thrilling moment. It is on every film. Seeing Cillian put this iconography together, it reminded me of my hair and makeup tests with Heath Ledger for the Joker.”

Cillian Murphy plays the titular role in Nolan's Oppenheimer. The film chronicles his career, involvement in the Manhattan Project, and the aftermath. It was a huge hit in theaters, grossing over $950 million at the box office.

For his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight, Ledger won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars posthumously. Joaquin Phoenix would later win Best Actor for playing the same role in Todd Phillips' Joker.

Christopher Nolan and Murphy go way back. Their collaborative relationship goes back to 2005's Batman Begins. Murphy played the Scarecrow in Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. He would also star in Inception and Dunkirk for the iconic filmmaker.