Dylan Arnold finds inspiration, parallels within 'Oppenheimer' role

Editor's note: The interview with Dylan Arnold took place before SAG-AFTRA went on strike.

Growing up, Dylan Arnold often found himself running through the high desert terrain of New Mexico — just outside of Santa Fe to be exact.

While visiting, he would be amazed at the vastness of the land and the endless horizon.

Those are moments in his life he’s treasured.

Flash forward a few decades and the 29-year-old actor found himself in familiar territory as he began production on the feature film, “Oppenheimer” in 2022.

It was another opportunity to not only take in the New Mexico scenery, but to be part of one of the most anticipated films of the year.

“What didn’t pique my interest about the project?” Arnold says.

“Oppenheimer” is set to open in theaters on Friday, July 21.

The film is helmed by Christopher Nolan, who also wrote the script for the thriller. It tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, who must risk possibly destroying the world in order to save it.

The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin.

It follows Oppenheimer’s journey working with the team behind the Manhattan Project as they developed what would become the atomic bomb.

“What I wanted to do was take the audience into the mind and the experience of a person who sat at the absolute center of the largest shift in history,” says Nolan. “Like it or not, J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived. He made the world we live in, for better or for worse. And his story must be seen to be believed.”

According to the New Mexico Film Office, the production employed approximately 190 New Mexico crew members and 1,200 New Mexico background and extras.

Arnold brings the role of Frank Oppenheimer — J. Robert’s younger brother — to life.

When Arnold auditioned for the project, there was secrecy surrounding it.

“It was the same generic monologue with scientists talking about stars and black holes,” he says. “I didn’t know what the role was for. I figured it would be someone like Frank, based off of that. It was a win to get to read for Chris Nolan. I was happy.”

Frank Oppenheimer, a particle physicist, was recruited by Robert to work on the Manhattan Project.

“By the time (I got the second audition), I was really hoping to be part of the film, and I was doing all the research I could about Oppenheimer. I knew Robert had a younger brother named Frank, so I just assumed I was auditioning for that guy, so I played to that,” Arnold says.

He further prepared for the work by speaking with Frank Oppenheimer’s son, Michael, and researching Frank’s relationship with Robert.

“I read a lot about Frank,” Arnold says. “Watched a few videos. There isn’t a ton of stuff out there on him. However, it was very easy to prepare and do the research because I found him endlessly fascinating. Frank was all about curiosity, always trying to explore and tinker. When he was 16, he took apart his father’s piano just to see how it was built, then put it back together before his father got home.”

Arnold really resonated with the level of curiosity.

He says the brothers had a fascinating relationship — though that didn’t come to fruition until Frank was a teenager and took an interest in physics.

“But then later, as adults, they kind of drifted apart, in large part, because of Frank’s politics. Frank was someone who did what he felt was right and was willing to accept the consequences, whatever they were,” Arnold says. “At the time, he felt that joining the Communist party was the right thing to do because it was the antithesis of fascism, which was sweeping across the world. So, to him, that seemed like the logical answer.”

Being part of the film and back in New Mexico wasn’t lost on Arnold, as he felt a connection to Frank and Robert Oppenheimer throughout the shoot.

“There were times I felt like coming to New Mexico as a child was similar to the brothers,” he says. “Being on location was really powerful. Chris doesn’t allow phones on set, too, and since the New Mexico scenes takes place in the 1940s, when obviously nobody had a cell phone, it really placed me in the mindset of what it would be like to be out there and spend your time in the canyons, riding up the side of a mountain on a horse, dealing with wind and rain and the elements, away from everyone. It felt magical. As an actor, it does a lot of the work for you. You don’t have to look at a green screen, you don’t have to imagine all this stuff, to put yourself in a different place and time. You’re there.”

Arnold filmed for about a month in New Mexico.

His time was spent between Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico and Belen.

“It felt similar to what the scientists who were working on this top secret production,” he says. “There were moments when I would drive 25 minutes through Belen to get to the set of the Trinity Site. It was the middle of the desert and I’d see the sun rise and feel overwhelmed with emotions as I could easily feel the rush of each of these scientists.”