The actress who played Lilli Hornig in ‘Oppenheimer’ is getting recognition for her talent and creativity

Olivia Thirlby is an American actress who has been working in the film and television industry since 2006. She is known for her roles as Leah in the comedy-drama film Juno (2007), as Natalie in The Darkest Hour (2011), and as Judge Cassandra Anderson in Dredd (2012). In 2023, Thirlby portrayed Lilli Hornig, a nuclear physicist and the wife of J. Robert Oppenheimer, in Christopher Nolan’s biographical film Oppenheimer.

Olivia Thirlby’s performance in Oppenheimer has earned her critical acclaim and several award nominations, including a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and a BAFTA. She also received praise from her co-star Cillian Murphy, who played the title role of Oppenheimer, the inventor of the atomic bomb. Murphy credited Thirlby with inventing the catchy nickname “Oppenhomies” for the cast and crew of the film, and urged her to trademark it and sell merchandise.

Olivia Thirlby’s journey from New York to Hollywood

Olivia Thirlby was born on October 6, 1986, in New York City, to an advertising executive mother and a contractor father. She was raised in Manhattan’s East Village, attending school at Friends Seminary in the city’s Gramercy neighborhood. She also attended French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts in upstate New York, and Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts. She took classes at the American Globe Theatre, and briefly at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London where she completed a stage combat course with the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat (BASSC).

Olivia Thirlby made her film debut in United 93 (2006), and her television debut in Kidnapped (2006). She gained popularity for her role as Leah, the best friend of the pregnant teenager Juno (Elliot Page) in Juno (2007), which was a box office hit and an Oscar nominee. She then appeared in several independent films, such as The Wackness (2008), Uncertainty (2009), and The Answer Man (2009). She also played a transgender Irish woman in the comedy-drama Breakfast on Pluto (2005), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.

Olivia Thirlby ventured into the genres of science fiction, horror, and action with films like The Darkest Hour (2011), a Russian-American production about an alien invasion in Moscow, and Dredd (2012), a reboot of the Judge Dredd franchise based on the comic book series. She also had supporting roles in high-profile films such as No Strings Attached (2011), Being Flynn (2012), and The Wedding Ringer (2015).

Olivia Thirlby starred in the HBO series Bored to Death (2009-2011), and the FX series Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll (2015-2016). She made her stage debut in Farragut North (2008), a play by Beau Willimon at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City, and later transferred to the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. She also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for the one-man play Misterman (2011), written and directed by Enda Walsh.

Thirlby’s breakthrough role in ‘Oppenheimer’ and her future projects

Olivia Thirlby’s biggest role to date came when she was cast as Lilli Hornig in Oppenheimer, a film that chronicles the life and work of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the leader of the Manhattan Project that developed the first nuclear weapons during World War II. The film, directed by Christopher Nolan and co-produced by Emma Thomas, features a star-studded ensemble cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Florence Pugh, and Kenneth Branagh. The film was released in November 2023, and became a critical and commercial success, grossing over $1 billion worldwide and receiving 13 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.

Olivia Thirlby’s portrayal of Lilli Hornig, a brilliant and outspoken woman who faced discrimination and harassment in the male-dominated field of physics, was widely praised by critics and audiences alike. She brought depth and nuance to the character, who had a complex relationship with her husband Oppenheimer, and who struggled with the ethical implications of their work. Thirlby also showed her comedic side, as she was the one who came up with the term “Oppenhomies” to describe the close-knit group of scientists and engineers who worked on the project. The term became a viral sensation, and Thirlby received a shout-out from Murphy during his acceptance speech at the SAG Awards, where he won Best Actor for his role as Oppenheimer.

Thirlby has several upcoming projects in the pipeline, including Wild Animals, a comedy-drama film directed by Jeff Baena and starring Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, and Dave Franco; Artist in a Field, a short film written and produced by Thirlby herself; and Until the Wedding, a TV movie based on the Israeli series of the same name. She is also rumored to reprise her role as Judge Anderson in a sequel or spin-off of Dredd, which has been in development for years.