Nuclear Kenergy? Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy ready to get all dolled in potential Barbie sequel

Call it Barbieheimception: Fresh off his performance as the father of the atomic bomb in Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy says he's open to the idea of playing a Ken in a potential Barbie sequel.

Asked about the hypothetical role in a recent interview with Omelete, the Irish actor said, "Sure, yeah. Let's read the script, let's have a conversation." Murphy added that he couldn't wait to watch Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie's Barbie movie, which hit theaters Friday, the same day as Oppenheimer. "I think it's great for cinema to get all these great movies happening this summer."

Barbie and Oppenheimer combined for a massive weekend at the box office, with the former raking in $162 million in the U.S. and Canada — shattering the record for the biggest opening by a female director. Oppenheimer, helmed by frequent Murphy collaborator Christopher Nolan, came in second place for the weekend with an explosive $82 million debut.

Murphy's willingness to harness his inner Kenergy comes amid Barbie casting directors Allison Jones and Lucy Bevan revealing that a number of other big names were in contention to play various versions of the Mattel doll. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Jones and Bevan said that Bowen Yang, Dan Levy, and Ben Platt had to turn down Ken roles due to scheduling conflicts and other production requirements. "They were, I'm not kidding, really bummed they couldn't do it," Jones said.

Additionally, Jonathan Groff had been considered for Ken's pal Allan, ultimately played to perfection by Michael Cera. "Dear, dear Jonathan Groff was like, 'I can't believe I'm typing this, but I can't do Allan,'" Jones recalled.

The Kens who did make the final cut include Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, and Scott Evans. "They were definitely really different, but they had to feel like a cohesive group," Bevan said. "You wanted to cast people who were really going to get on and be great and enjoy it."

Related content:

• Barbie dances into biggest debut for film directed by a woman with $155M
• Yes, that's [SPOILER] playing President Truman in Oppenheimer
• Cillian Murphy's Oppenheimer costars kept getting lost in his 'ocean eyes' on set