Emily Blunt Knows Why Audiences Are 'Spellbound' By 'Oppenheimer' Co-Star Cillian Murphy; Robert Downey Jr. Joins In The Praise

The celebrations of ‘Oppenheimer’ haven’t ended ever since its release last year. Ahead of the upcoming Academy Awards, for which the film has bagged the most number of nominations (13), actress Emily Blunt heaped praise on Cillian Murphy, who played the titular character in the film. She understands the reason behind fans’ deep admiration for the 47-year-old actor, noting that there’s an irresistibly captivating quality about him that truly engages viewers.

At the 96^th Oscar Nominees Luncheon in California, during a group interview with PEOPLE, Blunt told Murphy, “There is a reverence that you are so deserving of. And you are, like, the quietest conductor of this whole thing. You don’t mean to be — it’s not in your nature to want to lead — but I think that there’s something just captivating about you, whether you like it or not, that people are spellbound by.”

“And it is. As much as you like to say, ‘This is all of [director] Chris Nolan,’ why people are so captivated by this film, but it’s you,” she further added.

But it wasn’t only Blunt who had a few words to say about her co-star. Robert Downey Jr. also added on to the praise and commended Murphy’s leadership. He further stated, “You are meant and born to be at the front of big cinematic experiences.” The actor went on to jokingly say, “I come in, I get your typical, ‘It’s Tony Stark, but now he’s bald.’ Cillian comes in, people start standing up. Chris comes in, everyone’s on their feet.”

But it’s not just them; it’s the entire cast of the much-acclaimed film that truly believe that Murphy has delivered a standout performance portraying the American physicist, more popularly known as the Father of Atomic Bomb, who spearheaded the U.S. initiative to develop the atomic bomb while World War II. As for the other two, Emily Blunt is seen as Oppenheimer’s wife, Katherine Oppenheimer, and Robert Downey Jr. takes on the role of the Atomic Energy Commission chairman Lewis Strauss.

All the three stars – Murphy, Blunt and Downey Jr. – have been nominated in the categories of Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively at the upcoming Oscars, slated to take place at Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles on March 10, 7 PM local time.