Christopher Nolan Gave Emily Blunt A Devil Wears Prada Moment During Oppenheimer
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Christopher Nolan's commitment to historical accuracy and verisimilitude during the making of "Oppenheimer" added a layer of depth to the largely subjective biopic about the father of the atomic bomb. Opting not to film on traditional film sets and sound stages, the cast and crew filmed on location in New Mexico in and around the same area where Oppenheimer's original team created the bomb during WWII in the mid-1940s. When the quieter, more intimate personal scenes were shot with Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt, the Oppenheimer family's actual home in Los Alamos was used as the location. The exteriors were shot on Ghost Ranch and a 70-acre piece of private land just outside of Belen, New Mexico called El Paisano Ranch.
Nolan himself is accustomed to dressing sharply in a gentlemen's uniform usually consisting of a collared shirt, ironed slacks, and a blazer. It's a way for the focused director to look the part and concentrate on the monumental task of making a Christopher Nolan movie while also being liberated from thinking about inconsequential matters like fashion choices. This may be why Nolan requires that actors come on to set in costume, appearing exactly as their characters would, without exception.
Adjusting to the harsh weather conditions led Blunt, who plays Kitty Oppenheimer in the film, to slightly bend Nolan's costume rule by wearing a pair of Ugg boots on set. Nolan's quiet judgment caused Blunt to feel like she was right back acting across from Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada."
Ugh! Uggs!
Granted, no one should ever wear Ugg boots in public (nestled by the fireplace is fine) and Blunt quickly noted that wearing them on the set of a nearly $100 million dollar period piece directed by Christopher Nolan was definitely something to be frowned upon. In the new behind-the-scenes book "Unleashing Oppenheimer," Blunt distinctly remembered the day she showed up on location at Ghost Ranch donning an abominable pair of fat foot mittens.
"It was like a scene from 'The Devil Wears Prada.' Chris just looks down at your shoes and it's like Meryl Streep is looking at your horrible fashion choice. I just thought, l'll never be seen dead in Ugg boots around him again."
It's one thing to bring other modern comforts like a cup of coffee or a cell phone onto a Nolan set that may prove distracting. It's another thing entirely to be seen in a pair of furry boots that have been unfairly vilified by the people who have never actually worn them. Given Nolan's debonair appearance, I'm going to venture a guess that he would never even be seen near a department store selling Uggs.
Thanks to Blunt's playful sense of humor though, Nolan may have a new addition in his strictly curated closet. The Oscar-nominated actress (of "The Devil Wears Prada" no less) presented Nolan with a fitting wrap party gift, saying she gave him "the ugliest Ugg slippers I could find."