Despite the fact that Golden Globe-winning blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer deals with a mighty heavy subject—the advent of the atomic bomb and the moral implications of its use during World War II—it’s clear that both the cast and crew on the Christopher Nolan-directed drama had a great time behind the scenes.
Oscar-bound leading man Cillian Murphy previously revealed that it was a rule between the so-called “Oppen-homies”—he and his Oppenheimer castmates Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt and her famous neighbor Matt Damon, among many others—to keep a good amount of lightness and levity going on set to balance out the darkness of the material.
And it’s clear that Blunt stuck to that memo, as she recently revealed that her wrap gift to director Chris Nolan was all one big joke. Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday, January 11, the actress praised the British-American filmmaker for his curious and collaborative nature, but did jibe Nolan for his lack of openness about her on-set footwear choices:
He has such an issue with Ugg boots. It’s a serious problem, and I walked in wearing them one day and he was like, it was like The Devil Wears Prada. I mean, he was literally like…just stared at them. I was like, ‘Chris, come on.’ He goes, ‘Take those off!’
Blunt likened the director’s sartorial slight to her famously judgmental The Devil Wears Prada boss, fashion editrix Miranda Priestley, played by Meryl Streep in that 2006 comedy.
Yep, apparently Nolan would rather spend time reading books in his extensive personal library or learning cello while writing the script for Oppenheimer than browsing Ugg.com for sheepskin-lined booties.
In fact, the filmmaker hated Blunt’s shoes so much that the actress did the most hilariously petty thing she could think of: she gifted him his own pair. Colbert pointed out that Nolan famously sports a suit and tie while directing his films, so the addition of Uggs to his wardrobe makes for quite the contrast.
Emily told Colbert that gifting people Ugg boots was “kind of [her] thing now,” before whipping out a pair of bright-red booties for the talk-show host.
Beyond the belated holiday present for Colbert, Blunt also gifted viewers with fresh intel on her Oppenheimer co-stars, including that she’s a better horseback rider than her onscreen husband Cillian Murphy, who plays the film’s titular physicist. (In fairness, she had just come off filming her Prime Video Western miniseries The English, she says, so her equestrian skills were fresh.)
As for getting to spend time with Murphy, Downey, Pugh and the rest of the acclaimed cast throughout awards season—especially after their promo tour was cut short due to the SAG-AFTRA strike last year—the actress calls it “heaven”:
It’s heaven because we’re pals. We love each other, we are the Oppen-homies, we are. We love each other so much.
She also joked that the group was “the loudest table at the Golden Globes” this last weekend, and then cheekily added:
Maybe because we won?
There will be plenty more opportunities to see Emily Blunt and her “Oppen-homies” hanging together as Oppenheimer continues its awards circuit through the next few months, with the film up for a whopping 13 nominations at this Sunday’s Critics Choice Awards, including individual recognition for Blunt’s supporting performance. And, hey, maybe Chris Nolan will break out those Ugg boots on the red carpet one of these days!