Cillian Murphy has likened the 'Oppenheimer' set to working in a "laboratory".

The 47-year-old actor plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who helped to develop the first nuclear weapons, in the new movie, and Cillian has heaped praise on director Christopher Nolan for creating a "safe environment" for the cast.

He told 'Entertainment Tonight': "He creates this really ... kind of like a laboratory, where you can just try stuff out and he just lets you off. And the other thing is, I was thinking about it, no scene ever gets left behind, do you know what I mean? No scene is less than another."

'Oppenheimer' boasts a star-studded cast that also features the likes of Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon.

And Cillian has revealed that he relished the experience of working with Florence.

He shared: "I liked working with Florence Pugh, [she] was amazing. She's something else. And I've admired her work for a long time, so that was a real treat to get to work with her.

"Everyone smashed it. Like, everyone's unbelievable, because Chris expects excellence, that's just a given, and everyone turned up and delivered. Every single actor."

Meanwhile, Matt Damon recently revealed that the director caused him to change his career plans.

The 52-year-old actor agreed to take a break from the movie business after discussing the issue with his wife Luciana - until Christopher offered him a role in 'Oppenheimer'.

Matt told Entertainment Weekly: "This is going to sound made up, but it's actually true.

"I had - not to get too personal - negotiated extensively with my wife that I was taking time off. I had been in 'Interstellar' and then Chris put me on ice for a couple of movies, so I wasn't in the rotation, but I actually negotiated in couples therapy ­- this is a true story - the one caveat to my taking time off was if Chris Nolan called."