Christopher Nolan’s 2023 biopicOppenheimerdetails the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the development of the Atomic Bomb - though it also focuses on his chaotic love life, including an implied affair with psychologist Ruth Tolman. Played by Cillian Murphy,Oppenheimerdepicts the titular physicist as a man who struggles with fidelity in his marriage to wife Kitty (Emily Blunt).
Among the women Oppenheimer has affairs with inOppenheimeris the wife of his close friend Richard Tolman (Tom Jenkins). Ruth Tolman, played inOppenheimerby Louise Lombard, was incredibly close to Oppenheimer in real life. However, the truth behind the alleged affair Christopher Nolan implied to have happened in his 2023 movie is murky at best. The real Ruth Tolman was a much more significant figurethanOppenheimerdepicted, and she’s known for far more significant achievements than her possible affair with the man who invented the Atomic Bomb.
Ruth Tolman Was A Psychologist & Professor Known For Her Work On PTSD
Oppenheimer Ignored The Real Ruth Tolman’s Significance
Louise Lombard’s Ruth Tolman was one of the dozens of real historic figures playedby theOppenheimercast. Christopher Nolan’s movie correctly depicts that she was a part of the Manhattan Project, though not directly, but still provided essential support for both Oppenheimer and her husband, Richard C. Tolman (played by Tom Jenkins). Like many of the real people in the film,Oppenheimeronly really views Ruth Tolman through the lens of her proximity to Oppenheimer and the development of the atomic bomb. However,the real Ruth Tolman is an incredibly important figure in her own right.
The real Ruth Tolman (born Ruth Sherman) lived between 1893 and 1957. While her closeness to the titular scientist inOppenheimeris one of the reasons she’s a well-known historical figure, this isn’t her greatest contribution to the world.The real Ruth Tolman was an expert psychologist, and her research laid essential foundations for understanding PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Before she followed her husband to work with Robert Oppenheimer on the Manhattan Project, Ruth Tolman was a celebrated psychologist, and the first woman to join the prestigious Society for the Psychological Society of Social Issues. She’d written 6 books, and was incredibly active when it came to pushing for more opportunities for women in her field.
After the war and the events depicted inOppenheimer, Ruth Tolman undertook the task of clinical psychology training at the head office of the Veteran’s Administration, ensuring that soldiers returning from the war with PTSD had access to the best psychological care possible (for the time, at least, since this was in the late 1940s and early 1950s).It was during this time that the real Ruth Tolamn became such an esteemed figure, for her work on (as it was referred to at the time) “battle fatigue” was essential for helping veterans of the conflict re-enter society and work past the trauma of the horrors they witnessed across various fronts of the conflict.
The 2023 Movie Implied Ruth Tolman & J. Robert Oppenheimer Were Having An Affair
Tolman Was Used To Add Drama To Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan’s 2023 biopicOppenheimerwas widely discussed for multiple reasons, a key one being its depiction of Robert Oppenheimer’s surprisingly tumultuous love life. While the main focusesare his affair with Jean Tatlock(Florence Pugh) and his strained marriage to Kitty Oppenheimer (Emily Blunt), several scenes imply Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer was also romantically involved with Louise Lombard’s Ruth Tolman.
Cillian Murphy’s depiction of J. Robert Oppenheimer inOppenheimerpaints the renowned physicist as something of a womanizer who’s borderline irresistible to those he pursues.
InOppenheimer,the implied affair between Oppenheimer and Ruth Tolman is suggested to have occurred because of frustrations both shared with Tolman’s husband, Richard Tolman. However, this was one of several possiblyinaccurate moments inOppenheimer.While some historians theorize there was a possible sexual nature to the relationship between the real J. Robert Oppenheimer and Ruth Tolman, most agree that the pair were merely incredibly close friends.
Cillian Murphy’s depiction of J. Robert Oppenheimer inOppenheimerpaints the renowned physicist as something of a womanizer who’s borderline irresistible to those he pursues. While this characterization does have some basis in fact, as the real Oppenheimer did have affairs and cheat on his wife, Kitty, it’s likely not in the same way the movie portrayed.This is especially true when it comes to Ruth Tolman, as the evidence that the pair really did have an affair is slim-to-none.
Ruth Tolman & J. Robert Oppenheimer’s Real-Life Relationship Explained
There may have been an affair between J. Robert Oppenheimer and Ruth Tolman in theOppenheimermovie, but the real-life figures had a much more platonic relationship.Christopher Nolan got the idea from the 2005 book that provided much of the information forOppenheimer,Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin’sAmerican Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.This nonfiction text suggests that Tolman and Oppenheimer had an affair, though there are many historians who have since contradicted these claims.
The general consensus is that, as opposed to the sexual affair depicted inOppenheimer,the real J. Robert Oppenheimer and Ruth Tolman shared an incredibly close friendship, but nothing more. The pair met in 1928, and Tolman was 10 years Oppenheimer’s senior.They became even closer following the death of Richard Tolman in 1948, and Oppenheimer was known to be an incredibly important source of emotional support for Ruth Tolman.They’d meet frequently and exchange many letters. While most of their written correspondence is lost, the letters that remain don’t hint at an extramarital affair between the two, despite what 2023’sOppenheimermovie implied.
Oppenheimer
Cast
Oppenheimer is a film by Christopher Nolan, which follows the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy will play the titular role, with the story based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.
