Kenneth Branagh opens up about whether he'll do ‘Barbenheimer’

Virgin Radio

16 Jul 2023, 11:19

Picture of Kenneth Branagh wearing a black suit and glasses at a red caroet event, next to pictures of Cillian Murphy looking serious as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie as Ken and Barbie wearing all pink.

Credit: Getty/Universal/Warner Bros

Will you be going to see Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same day?

Oppenheimer’s Kenneth Branagh is best known for appearing in adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, including Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Hamlet (1996), and Henry V (1989).

But will the award-winning actor be swapping his classic films for a trip to see Greta Gerwig’s Barbie on 21st July 2023?

Speaking to virginradio.co.uk at the London premiere of Oppenheimer, Branagh confirmed that he will be visiting the cinema to see Barbie.

“Certainly, I'll do Barbenheimer,” he admitted, before jokingly promoting his next movie. “And you'll all come and see A Haunting in Venice on September 15. Thank you very much."

When asked if the 'Barbenheimer' trend would bring cinema back, the Irish-born actor said: “I hope so, it's always been back with me. I go every week.

“The more people in the cinema the better time I have.”

Praising the wide range of highly-anticipated films coming out this month, he added: “It feels like there are movies of every persuasion right now that make for a great night out with your friends.”

Branagh also shared that it was “a total pleasure” to work on Oppenheimer with director Christopher Nolan.

The 62-year-old explained: “You show up and you have to be ready. [Nolan is] a hard taskmaster, but you know, a thrilling one.

“He’s always ahead of the game and that's exciting.

“You have to keep up and you learn all the time, but he's fun.”

In the biographical thriller, Branagh plays the role of Niels Bohr, a Danish physicist who received a Nobel prize in 1922 for his studies into atomic structure and quantum theory.