Cillian Murphy is no stranger to captivating audiences with his versatile acting skills, and now he’s ready to add a toy to his impressive repertoire. The Oppenheimer star recently expressed his interest in playing Ken in “Barbie 2,” a sequel that fans have humorously dubbed “Barbenheimer.”
In a lighthearted interview with Cinéfilos, the 47-year-old actor playfully entertained the idea of taking on the role of Ken in the Barbie movie universe. “Would I play a Ken in Barbie 2? Sure,” he said with a laugh. “Let’s read the script and let’s have a conversation.”
Cillian Murphy also shared his excitement for the Barbie film, directed by Greta Gerwig. “I can’t wait to see it. Can’t wait to see the movie. I think it’s great for cinema,” he added, acknowledging the lineup of fantastic movies hitting theaters this summer.
The internet had some fun with the convergence of the Barbie and Oppenheimer release dates, dubbing it “Barbenheimer.” Fans were quick to speculate and joke about the potential crossover between the two vastly different films.
While Murphy entertained the idea of becoming Ken, he is not the only actor who has been linked to the role. Casting director Allison Jones revealed that Bowen Yang, Dan Levy, and Ben Platt were all considered for the part but were unable to commit due to the movie’s demanding filming location in London. On top of that, Jonathan Groff was also in talks for a role that ultimately went to Michael Cera.
Barbie’s star-studded cast features Ryan Gosling, Cera, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, John Cena, and Kingsley Ben-Adir, each bringing their unique flair to different versions of Ken in the film.
The success of Barbie at the box office has already set the stage for potential sequels. Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie, hinted at the possibility of future iterations, although she emphasized the importance of not getting too ahead with sequel planning.
In its opening weekend, Barbie made history, becoming the highest-grossing debut for a film directed by a woman, raking in $155 million. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer also performed well, garnering $80.5 million in its first three days in theaters.
