Christopher Nolan Breaks Down ‘Oppenheimer’ With Professor Brian Cox 

This is a competition to see who can be more soft spoken

Nearly half a million views in 3 days, it's almost as if there is actually a demand for proper, thoughtful, insightful discussion online.

There’s some fantastic Oppenheimer interviews out there but this one sits at the top. Truly phenomenal; whoever said “let’s get a renowned physicist to interview” is a genius.

Two geniuses in their own right, discussing another genius' life. I love this.

I bet this was quite enjoyable for Nolan. Not being asked the typical interview celebrity questions from the media, but actually having a real conversation about his thought processes. Whoever put this together needs a raise! 👌

this is the coolest format/style of all the recent oppenheimer interviews. bringing in an expert on physics was a great idea. what an interesting conversation to explore the intersection of science and art

I've just left a cinema having watched this. The audience, including me were stunned and left in silence. It's an incredible film.

Just say "The wonders of the universe" against a magnificent backdrop. Sums up both of them.

Nolan is singlehandedly carrying the Oppenheimer promotional campaign on his shoulders. Nolan is a genius auteur and its always a treat to listen to him speak at any length

Brian Cox is the man to be had for an interview like this. Very thought provoking questions.

This is a great interview. I would encourage Esquire to release the full uncut interview. These are 2 of the most brilliant people in their respective fields. Please provide the full canvas of their thoughts and conversation. These are two of my modern day heros. Wonderful interview!

12:15 Nolan here reminds me of the quote: “Only collaboration between scientists and workers can put an end to oppressive poverty, disease and dirt”. There is a (ever growing) existential necessity that human society and human development be driven by the scientific method, championed by scientists, technologists, and the people of the world. Science and technology should be for the benefit of all people, not a vehicle of commodification or a commodity in and of itself; and not a mechanism of war, hegemony and geopolitics.

Brian Cox is simply the man. He should do a 1+ hour conversation with Nolan, so insightful and much more interesting than the usual questions even from the most creative film interviewers on youtube nowadays.

Wow, the end of Succession must have been a huge relief for Brian Cox. He looks twenty years younger, five stone lighter and like an English astrophysicist. Is there anybody this guy can't play?!?!

15:20 "I don't think films work when they're overly didactical" that is why Nolan is one of the great modern directors. He rises above the trend of pandering to any single ideology or preaching to the audience. It's a complicated and densely layered story of an important time in history and he approaches it with that respect.

Nolan is one of the handful of film makers who brings challenging ideas into exoeriential stories, making a real contribution to modern culture.

Holy fuck. The collab i never knew i needed. More brian in my life is always welcome

The collaboration we didn't know we wanted but definitely needed.

These two are so softly spoken that you can listen to this video on full volume and it’s not even loud

No exaggeration here, this conversation between Nolan and Cox is a true treat for the intellect. Delving into the mind of Oppenheimer and exploring the historical and scientific intricacies behind his story is a testament to both Nolan's directorial finesse and Cox's brilliant curiosity. The thought-provoking insights and discussions shared in this video are a goldmine for those hungry for knowledge. Kudos to Esquire for bringing us such an engaging and informative experience. This is RU-vid at its best - genuinely enriching content with no clickbait and drama!

Thank you Esquire for inviting Brian to interview Nolan. A fan of both these men. Read several books published by Professor Brian Cox. Don't judge this man by his rock star appearance. Dude is a legit physicist who doesn't shy away from math in his literature.

One of my favourite lines from any movie highlighting the consequences of our technology: “...Your Scientists Were So Preoccupied With Whether Or Not They Could, They Didn’t Stop To Think If They Should.”

This conversation is just .. brilliant. The word genius gets thrown around a lot in the creative space. Nolan is definitely close to it.

Christopher Nolan has been the best storyteller and director of the past decade. His style is unmatched by any other.

Love all these new Nolan vids on RU-vid. The man is a gift for cinema

Nolan is such a classic guy. always keeps that personal tea bottle of his close to him. its so cool

Why is this not longer 😭?? Fascinating, Nolan is thoughtful and eloquent and Brian is such a great interviewer letting the subject talk and explain. Plus it helps that Brian obviously really knows his subject. Love it

Fantastic interview, many thanks Esquire. I also appreciate how the editor of this video paid homage to Nolan by mixing the voice mics a little too low.

Now THAT'S an intellectual interview

It was brilliant. In the showing I went to, the audience was dead silent when the film ended and everyone stayed through the credits. It really is a haunting film and an absolute masterpiece.

Nolan is a movie genius. Cant deny it. Guy has done some of the greatest work ever and just continues to.

Nolan is a true creative genius, and it’s so cool that he views what he does as being in conversation with the audience. Such an intelligent and open minded artist.

Omg i need HOURS of these two

I saw Oppenheimer last night and let me tell you….deeply deeply moving. It left me drained and stunned. Go see it! I feel this is Nolan’s best film.

This is a competition to see who can be more soft spoken. The collaboration we didn't know we wanted but definitely needed..

I think one of the favourite things I enjoy about Nolan movies are how alive and vibrant the conversations are around the movies. With Interstellar is particular, I devoured ridiculous amounts of material/information that the movie produced.

This was fantastic, thank you. Brian Cox is the perfect person to discuss this. I found it interesting their discussion about the relationship with the establishment and Oppenheimer and their treatment of him post war, "They need us till they don't" I can't help but see the parallels between this and Alan Turing. Another brilliant man who played an enormous part in winning the War and was treated terribly afterwards.

Hands down the best "promotional" interview I've ever seen for a film - intelligent, insightful, amazing!

Brian is such a gift, keeping that oldschool gentlemanly scientist spirit full of thoughtful intelligence and curiosity alive in an era that's largely forgotten about it

I love a good old fashioned simple conversation. You could use this as a masterclass on eloquence and grace. Well done gentlemen. I greatly admire you both.

Fun fact, Nolan is seen in this interview actually wearing the Hamilton "Murph" watch that featured heavily in Interstellar. Neat that he just walks around wearing Easter eggs for his own films, lol.

I never thought I would see my favourite scientist and favourite movie director in the same room.. LIFE IS AWESOME ❤❤❤❤❤

The person who thought "Let's get Brian Cox to interview Chris Nolan about Oppenheimer" is an absolute fucking genius. What a brilliant interview.

2 fav people talking to each other....what a good day to be alive

Easily the best discussion of this film I've seen, and I'd be very surprised if it gets done better by anyone else. The Prof and The Film Maker, perfect on both fronts.

The whole interview is deeply interesting. I was particularly struck by Nolan's comments on what Oppenheimer 'said' versus what he 'did' after WW2, that was something I have always noticed whenever I watched interview footage with Oppenheimer. Pre/During Manhattan Project, he's very engaging and talkative with the camera and the interviewer, however, Post-Manhattan Project and WW2, he barely looks at the camera, speaks few words, and the words he does speak imply someone who is... I think it goes way beyond being remorseful or guilty, I'd be more inclined to say that he's all but destroyed. I think Oppenheimer - in the process of developing the Atomic Bomb - went through the stages of doing what he loved, knowing full-well - on a technical and scientific level - the intended outcome of his experiments, but not really appreciating the full gravity of the ramifications of what success would mean, until it was too late. Which is ironic but also oddly fitting, as an ability to foresee the future ramifications of one's actions on that scale would indicate someone that was very good at performing calculations, and Oppenheimer was apparently known to be weak in this area. He says it all really with the quote 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' He knows that he's gone too far, he's opened Pandora's Box and likewise that there's no way of getting the evil back inside. At that stage, I believe he's unapologetic, not because he doesn't care, but because he's seen the full horror of what his actions have unleashed and he has no choice left but to accept the brutal reality that is presented to him. And the best he can do to try and make amends is to become a vocal advocate for the control of Nuclear weapons and proliferation. But he knows that he's gone too far.

Two of my favourite people. Nolan is a master and he doesn't treat his audience like they're all stupid he trusts them to be intelligent and appreciate what he does and doing so he obviously takes risks like every real artist should do in my opinion.

Oppenheimer is going to win all the Oscars, isn't it ..... what a great interview !

That was great. Love Brian Cox. This was the best interview I've seen promoting the movie. Wish Brian did his own podcast each week where he interviews someone - he is so insightful. Just reading down through the comments as I write this, I notice I'm not alone in this.

I know this is now the 2nd most watched video of this channel, but please do a reupload with louder audio. Also give a raise to the people who got these 2 together, because it was the best interview done on the movie

I saw the film last night, the story telling is amazing. The split of atom and split of human interactions treated somewhat interchangeably, chain reaction at all possible levels. I love the concept.

I just see Cillian Murphy and Chris Nolan breaking down Oppernheimer.

The film was absolutely amazing and one of my all-time favorite films. Phenomenal.

Thanks to both Christopher Nolan and Brian Cox for this. Genuinely very much appreciated.

I liked Nolan's face when Brian was gushing about the sound.

I never cared for directors but when I watched Batman Begins, I started paying attention. Nolan is a genius artist who can take any topic, subject or fantasy and turn it into something remarkable. He focuses on dialogue, storytelling and character development then make the story relatable to the average viewer and that's what makes viewers captivated (Although you might need to rewatch some of his movies to appreciate and understand more). His movies aren't the easiest to understand and mostly require full attention for the entire time but in the end, it's worth it. He's not in it for the money or the fame; he just wants to make a unique captivating film and that's why he takes his time when deciding to make movies and that's why he has a lot of respect from the audience and from the actors. Story telling, intelligent dialogue and character development are now the factors that make a movie great or dead.

This is the kind of interview I love to see for ‘movies that matter’ over the banal personal questions and games format in so many others. Thank you!

This would have been so much better if the sound wasnt so bad.

This conversation will only age as good wine. See you in twenty years when this video will still be relevant.

They should have got both Brian Coxes to interview Nolan, one for the Physics, one for the acting.

Imagine having the opportunity of filming Brian Cox and Christopher Nolan and the editor of the video set the audio too quiet

I live in Bali, Indonesia - a country that didn't even exist when the events in movie took place. Recently I have seen Indy5, MI7 and several days ago I saw Oppenheimer. It was very noticeable just how different the audience was for it. Throughout Oppenheimer the audience was silent and sat still, focussed laser-like throughout the movie. In the other two, they were less so, with people talking, playing with their phones and children wanting the bathroom. Presumably, the Oppenheimer audience was made up of serious people, academics and such like, people who appreciated its sheer importance.

I'm grateful and thankful to have existed to experience this movie.

The interview is definitely on par with Nolan's movies in terms of audio

Great movie. They got just right into it from the get go, no intro or anything, just right into the heart of the matter and the life of Oppenheimer

My favorite part of the film is that the VERY second he saw an atom split in the lab, his immediate thought was a weapon, the very first thought. I doubt it actually happened that way, but still, it was chilling.

What a great conversation! I almost thought it would be with Logan Roy, but the result was slightly different than that expectation yet delightful.

I really love Brian Cox and the way he speaks. He is very impressive.

The end was terrifying, like I did not understand in the beginning and the damn calculation was not what we were thinking in the beginning of the movie and then everything connects at the end and it was almost like a rush of information and put you in Oppenheimers shoes for a second

Was very impressed how he related this to AI because as someone in comp sci I thought the same thing. It is very much like a more dangerous Manhattan project being done in the open. Oppenheimer is super relevant during this time, and Nolan is one of the few directors that I think would make that connection.

This really is a good film, and doesn't shy away from presenting the physics in a way which is accessible without being dumbed-down. As a physics graduate myself, I enjoyed seeing such complex ideas presented so well. And to answer the question that I've seen asked a lot elsewhere, I don't think Nolan used a real atomic bomb for the explosion. If he had, we would have heard about it from the UN Security Council. Besides, the mushroom cloud isn't quite the right shape.

As someone who just graduated with a degree in physics, I loved this movie. My second favorite movie behind Nolan's Interstellar!

Oh my. Cox and Nolan. Two of my favorite people. I could listen and watch this for hours. Great interview. Thank you!

Fun fact: For this interview they used microphones the size of an atom.

Science constantly seeks to disprove itself - Mister Nolan, that was a singular great statement that shows an incredible amount of appreciation with the least words possible. And that in itself is another compliment.

This was so nice to watch before bed like they were whispering to each other 😭

I saw it yesterday and I was just wondering how intelligent and cerebral this movie is. And so strange that big movies are just action set pieces and Vfx these days. This was a great movie experience and I hope it breaks all records

That is definitely the best interview/ conversation of Christopher Nolan I've seen so far. Two brilliant people sharing their thoughts and understanding on the topic of science that has changed our world and the man behind it was a real teat. Thanks!

It was really interesting to see Prof. Cox asking the questions

This film is true cinema. We are blessed to have talent such as Nolan keeping the industry alive!

Brian Cox is an absolute vampire who doesn’t age

Two incredible minds in different fields. This was a wonderful idea and I applaud the team at Esquire that made it happen.

Two soft-spoken gentlemen who are professionals in their arts and science.

This is the best interview I've seen about this movie. Great job!

Amazing how charismatic people can be when they really know their shit. Great chat.

Now that's the kind of interviewer Nolan deserved. My fav science teacher from discovery channel in childhood. Brian cox

Oppenheimer is a film of character study they is so much we can take from that character.

After seeing it in its IMAX presentation I am extremely impressed with it. It was a fun challenge trying to name the scientists in my head before their name was spoken on screen.

What a shame this is only 20 mins, you can tell both people are super engaged in this conversation and Brian clearly has so much more to ask. Great interview. Maybe revisit for a longer one?

An ad played during the video and blew holes in my eardrums ☠️

"Zero would be nice." Greatest line now in cinematic history.

God I wish they talked more. Two kings of their craft. What a great interview

One thing I really like about Nolan’s films is that the story and cinematography almost always stand out most (with the exception of Heath Ledger’s Joker, RIP). You rarely get distracted by a particular actor/actress’ performance, whether good or bad. The actors and actresses did a fabulous job in this film for sure, but I think this is very much a Nolan film.

Imagine how careful with words you would become if you realized your words had led directly to the obliteration of two cities worth of people? Oppenheimer was a living icon. A man who understood his position in history and lived with that weight on his shoulders.

When Nolan speaks we listen, either in interviews or films but a beautiful voice it is

You would think that a professional publication like Esquire would have knowledge and sense to place the VOLUME to a standard level instead of making it bloody near impossible to hear.

Great conversation. Both haunted and fascinated by the Oppenheimer, in all his complexity, and The Bomb, since watching BBC’s 1980 drama series all those years ago; would go so far as to say as a child I was traumatised by nuclear threat, it’s destructive power and was extremely ambivalent and confused as to how any human rationalised investment in such a potentially futile future. Chris Nolan, cast and crew have delivered a masterpiece. Three hours flew by.

"Zero would be nice" loved this movie

As a ex cinema goer you have no idea the smile on my face to know I can go back thank you

Brian Cox was dead on. It is haunting. It's profound and impactful. Nolan is a genius. The pacing and everything about the film is as perfect as any ive ever seen.