Oppenheimer trailer: Who is Tom Conti, the man who plays Albert Einstein in Christopher Nolan's epic?

Christopher Nolan returns after three years with Oppenheimer, a biographical drama tracing the crucial events of the life of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The film's main focus is laid on Robert Oppenheimer's creation of the world's first atomic bomb and how the weapon of mass destruction ended up becoming a pivotal point in modern history. Set to release in theatres across the world on July 21, 2023, Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek and others.

The new trailer of the film dropped on May 8 and offered a glimpse into Nolan's distinct vision, as he forays into the mind and soul of the 'father of the atomic bomb'. We see Robert Oppenheimer invest all his wits and expertise into bringing the theoretical design of the atomic bomb to life and thus help the USA and several other countries counter the huge threat of the Nazis. We see him face moral and ethical conundrums that the creation of the atomic bomb poses and tackle the fact that it could be potentially misused in the future. We also see him meet fellow theoretical physicist and talisman Albert Einstein in the new trailer. And this fleeting moment has grabbed the attention of social media for very obvious reasons.

Tom Conti as Albert Einstein

As Wikipedia reveals Scottish stage & film actor & theatre director Tom Conti essays the role of Albert Einstein in Oppenheimer. Conti, born in 1941, began his acting journey as a theatre actor in 1959 before beginning a successful television career in the late 1960s; his best-known TV credits include Madame Bovary, The Glittering Prizes, The Norman Conquests and Blade on the Feather. Tom Conti has also guest-starred in the superhit American sitcom Friends.

Although he found considerable success on stage and on television, he would also find prominence on the big screen with films like Full Circle, American Dreamer, Shirley Valentine, A Closed Book and many more. In fact, Tom Conti is also credited with the role of a prisoner in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.

Einstein's Role in the Manhattan Project

Many would already know that Albert Einstein played a key role in the origins of the Manhattan Project, the US undertaking which eventually developed the first nuclear weapons. Einstein would sign off Einstein–Szilard letter (in 1939) which raised issues regarding the 'potential development of "extremely powerful bombs of new type" by the Germans. Although his involvement in the shaping of the Manhattan Project would end there, one sees his influence and wisdom lingering throughout the project's life; one could surmise that in Oppenheimer, J. Robert Oppenheimer will be seen consulting Einstein who turns rather melancholy in that one blink-and-miss glimpse in the trailer.