Jack Quaid has looked back on his time on the set of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, revealing the acclaimed director paid him an unexpected compliment.
The Companion star played Nobel-winning theoretical physicist Richard Feynman, one of the many real-life figures in Nolan's Oscar-winning movie on the making of the atomic bomb.
Despite starring in a relatively small role, Quaid stole the show by playing the bongos just like Feynman. The physicist was known for his love of the percussion instrument, which he would play in various settings.
Speaking to Men's Health, the star of The Boys shared that Nolan was "really impressed" by his bongo-playing skills in an ensemble scene.
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"One of my favourite moments from shooting was, obviously, I'm playing the bongos a lot," Quaid said.
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"But I remember shooting the Christmas party scene, and it was incredible. I'm playing the bongos, and more of a glorified extra in that, but looking around the room, not caring about the size of my role at all, just looking around and getting to see, like, 'Okay, there's Kenneth Branagh, there's Emily Blunt, there's Cillian Murphy, there's Matt Damon — and they're all doing, like, the best work of their career, and I just get to watch it.
"It was unbelievable. But then the next day, we were shooting something else, and Chris stops everything, and just looks at me, and goes [Nolan impersonation] 'I saw the dailies for the bongos — you really impressed me.'"
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Quaid described the moment as "really surreal, really weird, but so great".
"I just never in a million years thought I would get a bongo compliment from Christopher Nolan, but there we were," he said.
The Scream actor, who will next be seen on Novocaine, previously weighed in on learning to play the bongos for the role of Feynman, crediting his Oppenheimer co-star David Krumholtz for teaching him.
"The Bongos were real," Quaid wrote on Instagram in November 2023.
"Feynman loved them. I loved researching this man so much. He's truly a hero of mine now. / The incomparable @davidkrumholtz actually plays the bongos and gave me a few lessons. Thank you buddy."
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
