“I think they were vital in this,” Murphy told British GQ. “I think the relationship that he has with Jean Tatlock is one of the most crucial emotional parts of the film. I think if they’re key to the story then they’re worthwhile.”

“Listen, no one likes doing them, they’re the most awkward possible part of our job,” Murphy went on. “But sometimes you have to get on with it.”

Nolan responded in a similar manner when Insider asked about his decision to include the sex scenes, which also happens to be the first time he is filming sexually graphic content in his career.

“When you look at Oppenheimer’s life and you look at his story, that aspect of his life, the aspect of his sexuality, his way with women, the charm that he exuded, it’s an essential part of his story,” he said. “His very intense relationship with Jean Tatlock, played by Florence Pugh, is one of the most important things in his life. But not least for the fact that Jean Tatlock was very explicitly a Communist and his obsession with her therefore had enormous ramifications for his later life and his ultimate fate.”