There Are A Ton Of Random Actors In "Oppenheimer," It's Almost Farcical — Here Is Everyone And Where You Know Them From

I can't wait for what Saturday Night Live does with this.

It's finally here... Barbenheimer weekend is upon us! But today we're talking about the "heimer" bit.

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Christopher Nolan's latest offering tells the story of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

The film has been talked about A LOT, and is actually a terrific watch. The editing, the sound, the script, and of course, the acting are all on point. But one thing that struck me was the frankly bizarre cast, which sees actors from all sorts of random projects I've seen come together in one feature film.

People talking about the Barbie movie cast, but I swear Oppenheimer is wilder. Watching it was like opening an advent calendar of super random people for four hours straight #Oppenheimer #Barbenheimer pic.twitter.com/GPLV5hV6Ih

— Sam Cleal (@sam_cleal) July 20, 2023

Twitter: @sam_cleal

You'll know by now that Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Robert Downey Jr. all play pretty key roles.

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Cillian stars as J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Emily plays his wife, Kitty. Matt plays Lt. General Leslie Groves, and RDJ plays Lewis Strauss, a businessman who tries to hire Oppenheimer. Also in starring roles are Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, and Kenneth Branagh.

After that, it's pretty much an almost farcical parade of famous actors who just pop up out of nowhere to deliver a few lines or pick up a beaker, and then disappear again. Seriously, I'm waiting for the SNL sketch on this.

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It's like that "Imagine" Gal Gadot video but in a Nolan film.

Here are some of the most famous and/or random people that crop up in Oppenheimer.

1. Jack Quaid plays Richard Feynman

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There are A LOT of male scientists in the film who form the Manhattan Project, a research initiative that was spearheaded by Oppenheimer to develop the first atomic bomb. Jack plays one of these scientists! Of course, you'll know him from his starring role in The Boys, as well as The Hunger Games, Vinyl, Logan Lucky, and the Scream franchise.

2. Josh Peck plays Kenneth Bainbridge

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Another scientist and member of the Manhattan project is played by none other than Josh Peck, who you'll definitely know from the Nickelodeon series, Drake & Josh. Josh has also starred in The Wackness, Mean Creek, Red Dawn, and the recent reboot of iCarly.

3. Benny Safdie plays Edward Teller

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Edward was a Hungarian physicist who is known as the father of the hydrogen bomb. Benny is probably best known as one-half of directing duo the Safdie brothers, whose movies Good Time and Uncut Gems have been widely acclaimed. He's also appeared as an actor in Licorice Pizza, the Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

4. Olivia Thirlby plays Lilli Hornig

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Lilli kind of sticks out as a character because she's, like, the only woman working on the Manhattan project. The real woman she's based on was also a prominent feminist activist, who worked hard to advocate for women in scientific fields. You might recognize Olivia from her role in Juno, or for appearing in The Darkest Hour and Dredd.

5. Alden Ehrenreich plays a Senate aide

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Alden's character sort mooches around with Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) for most of the film, and evidently goes unnamed. At first, he seems pretty loyal to Lewis, but soon, he find his sympathy switching to align with Oppenheimer. Alden is probably best known for appearing in Blue Jasmine, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Beautiful Creatures, and Hail, Caesar!.

6. James D'Arcy plays Patrick Blackett

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James plays Patrick Blackett — a teacher and Oppenheimer's supervisor at Cambridge University, who would go on to win a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1948. You might know James from his roles in Cloud Atlas, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, An American Haunting, Broadchurch, and Dunkirk, and for playing Howard Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis, in the MCU.

7. Casey Affleck plays Boris Pash

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The Academy Award winner plays brutal intelligence officer, Pash, who comes up against Oppenheimer at one point during the movie. Casey is known for his roles in Manchester by the Sea, A Ghost Story, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Light of My Life.

8. Jason Clarke plays Roger Robb

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Australian actor, Jason, plays a prosecutor in the counsel hearing against Oppenheimer (and let's just say, I'd be very happy to have him in my corner if I ever need a lawyer). Jason's best-known roles have been in the likes of Zero Dark Thirty, Everest, Mudbound, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. 

9. Dane DeHaan plays Kenneth Nichols

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Dane plays the intransigent Major General Kenneth Nichols, who helps oversee the military involvement in the Manhattan project. You'll likely know Dane for his starring movie roles in Chronicle, The Place Beyond the Pines, Kill Your Darlings, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, A Cure for Wellness, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

10. David Krumholtz plays Isidor Isaac Rabi

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David has probably one of the most intriguing roles — the American Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Isidor Isaac Rabi, who acts as a friend to Oppenheimer throughout the film. If you've watched The Santa Clause films, you'll have recognized David as Bernard the (hot) Elf, but he's been in everything from 10 Things I Hate About You to The Ballad of Buster Scruggs to Sausage Party!

11. David Dastmalchian plays William L. Borden

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David plays American lawyer Borden, one of the most prominent voices advocating for nuclear arms in the US at the time of WWII. You may know David from hit movies such as The Dark Knight, The Suicide Squad, Dune, and Blade Runner 2049, as well as shows like The Flash, MacGyver, and Twin Peaks.

12. Michael Angarano plays Robert Serber

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Michael, admittedly, has quite a small part; he plays the physicist Robert Serber, who has little to no lines (that I recall) in the film. But I couldn't not call him out because I recognized him instantly as Elliott from Will & Grace! Michael's other work includes Sky High, Sun Dogs, The Forbidden Kingdom, Haywire, The English Teacher, and This Is Us.

13. Guy Burnet as George Eltenton

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Similarly, I couldn't not include Guy on this list, even though his role is pretty minuscule in the grand scheme of the film. Of course, he'll always be Craig Dean from UK soap Hollyoaks in my heart, but Guy's star has been on the rise for a while, seeing him appear in the likes of Counterpart, Pitch Perfect 3, The Feed, Dead for a Dollar, Chicago Fire, and Seacole.

14. Devon Bostick plays Seth Neddermeyer

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Another truly random casting is Devon's (he plays another physicist working on the Manhattan project). Many will recall the Canadian actor as Rodrick Heffley, his part in the first three Diary of a Wimpy Kid films. Devon's other work includes Adoration, Being Charlie, Okja, Dead Before Dawn 3D, and, of course, The 100.

15. Alex Wolff plays Luis Walter Alvarez

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Alex plays yet another Nobel Prize-winning physicist (it's an AMAZING achievement, but it's somehow getting old now). Of course, you'll probably recognize Alex (who is the younger brother of Nat Wolff) from the Jumanji movies, Hereditary, Old, My Friend Dahmer, and The Naked Brothers Band.

16. Scott Grimes plays a counsellor

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Scott's role sees him sitting on the counsel during the hearing against Oppenheimer. You might know Scott from his roles on ER, Party of Five, Band of Brothers, The Orville, Robin Hood, and the Critters films. He's also the voice of Steve Smith on American Dad!, don't you know!

17. Matthias Schweighöfer plays Werner Heisenberg

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Matthias plays a German theoretical physicist who was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in physics for his pioneering work in quantum mechanics. Oppenheimer is inspired by his work, and later tells the US army that he believes the Nazis will use Werner's knowledge in creating their own atomic bomb. You may know Matthias from Army of the Dead, Valkyrie, What a Man, and You Are Wanted.

18. Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman

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I must say, Gary appearing on the screen really was the cherry on the cake of a random-ass cast! He plays the 33rd president of the United States, who began serving as the Second World War ended in 1945. Gary has been in everything from The Dark Knight to Darkest Hour, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and, of course, the Harry Potter films.

19. And, of course, Rami Malek plays David Hill

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It's interesting to have an Oscar winner like Rami's main action in a movie be dropping a briefcase, but that's Nolan for ya! Rami plays another scientist in the movie, who becomes a key witness in defense of Oppenheimer during a hearing against him. Of course, you'll know Rami from the likes of Mr. Robot, No Time to Die, Twilight, the Night at the Museum films, and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Are you looking forward to Oppenheimer? Maybe you've seen it already? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!