It's controversial/ Cillian Murphy confirms 'lack of seating’ on Nolan's sets after winning Best Actor for Oppenheimer

The 81st Golden Globe Awards took place at Los Angeles’s Beverly Hilton on January 8 (IST). Cillian Murphy secured the prestigious Best Actor accolade for his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. During his acceptance speech, the actor offered a glimpse into the unique experience of working with Christopher Nolan.

Cillian Murphy weighs in on Nolan's 'no-chair policy' on set

Cillian Murphy highlighted the distinctive atmosphere on set, characterised by an unparalleled level of "rigor, focus, and dedication." With a touch of humour, Murphy also confirmed the absence of "seating options for actors", emphasising that he was indeed in the hands of a visionary director and master storyteller.

He said, “I knew the first time I walked on a Christopher Nolan set that it was different,” Murphy said during his acceptance speech. “I could tell by the level of rigor, the level of focus, the level of dedication, the complete lack of any seating options for actors [Laughter] that I was in the hands of the visionary director and master.”

Expressing gratitude, Murphy extended heartfelt thanks to Christopher Nolan and producer Emma Thomas for their unwavering faith in his abilities over the span of two decades. Acknowledging the collaborative nature of filmmaking, he underscored the beauty and vulnerability of being an actor, stating the impossibility of going through the journey alone. He credited the success of Oppenheimer to the exceptional ensemble cast, labelling the experience as nothing short of magical. He also praised his co-stars including Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, and Gary Oldman.

Murphy continued, “I want to thank Chris and Emma [Thomas] for having the faith in me for 20 years. Thanks so much. One of the most beautiful and vulnerable things about being an actor is that you can’t do it on your own, really. We had the most incredible ensemble cast in this movie. It was magic and some of them are here today. Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Gary Oldman. Thank you for carrying me and holding me through this movie.”

Nolan had earlier dismissed ‘no chairs’ allegations

In an old interview, actress Anne Hathaway, who had worked with Christopher Nolan in the 2012 movie The Dark Knight Rises claimed that Nolan does not allow any chairs on his sets. She had said, “Chris also doesn't allow chairs, and his reasoning is, if you have chairs, people will sit, and if they're sitting, they're not working.”

Hathaway had added, “He has these incredible movies in terms of scope and ambition and technical prowess and emotion. I think he's onto something with the chair thing." The above-said statement from Hathaway had drawn the attention of netizens who had both shared their criticism of Nolan for the same, as well as shared many memes about Nolan’s rigid attitude.

In response, an official spokesperson from Nolan’s team later clarified the filmmaker's stance on the issue to media portal Indie Wire. The statement read, “The chairs Anne was referring to are the directors' chairs clustered around the video monitor, allocated based on hierarchy not physical need. Chris chooses not to use his but has never banned chairs from the set. Cast and crew can sit wherever and whenever they need, and frequently do. For the record, the only things banned from Nolan's sets are cell phones (not always successfully) and smoking (very successfully)."