Is Cillian Murphy a good luck charm for filmmaker Christopher Nolan? We don’t know if the auteur is superstitious but the fact that after Michael Caine, Murphy is the one actor he has collaborated with most frequently speaks volumes. Murphy has been part of five of Nolan’s 12 films in side roles in some of which he often stole the scene.

In their sixth collaboration, Oppenheimer — set for worldwide release on July 21 — Murphy takes the lead as American theoretical physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer, a character Nolan has called one of the ‘most complicated and layered’. Murphy, whose performances have garnered critical acclaim in the past several years, is, according to Nolan, more than equipped to handle the role.

Murphy first came to notice with his lead role in the zombie film 28 Days Later in 2002. When he auditioned for Nolan’s Batman Begins in 2005, the Irish actor only had three major films under his belt. He made his presence felt as Dr Jonathan Crane aka the Scarecrow, a role which he reprised two more times.

Other than his notable side roles in Nolan’s films, Murphy went on to win critical acclaim with films like The Wind that Shakes the Barley and Breakfast on Pluto. But the role that put him on the map is that of Tommy Shelby in British drama Peaky Blinders.

Here are all the films Murphy and Nolan have collaborated on through nearly a decade, for you to watch and whet your appetite before catching Oppenheimer.

Batman Begins (2005)

Murphy — a relatively unknown actor then, mostly known for his role in the film 28 Days Later — had auditioned for the role of Batman in Nolan’s Batman Begins in 2005. Nolan gave the role of the vigilante to Christian Bale but was impressed enough with Murphy to give him the role of Dr Jonathan Crane aka the Scarecrow. With his striking blue eyes that can turn cold in an instant, Murphy was a standout as the villainous, drug-smuggling psychiatrist.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Murphy and Nolan next collaborated on The Dark Knight, one of the best comic book movies ever made, where he reprised the role of the Scarecrow. Despite the film being owned by Heath Ledger as The Joker, for which he deservingly won an Academy Award posthumously, Murphy made his presence felt in the brief time he was on screen, especially as the one who sets things in motion.

Inception (2010)

Next up for the duo was Nolan’s critically acclaimed heist film Inception which delved into construction of dreams and people’s perception of reality. Once again Murphy took on a side role, that of Robert Fischer, heir apparent and the unsuspecting mark of the heist. With a very subdued portrayal of a young man quietly seeking his father’s love and approval, Murphy held his own in a star-studded cast that had Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard and Elliot Page.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Often hailed as Nolan’s weakest film, the third and final film in The Dark Knight trilogy was Murphy’s fourth collaboration with the filmmaker. Murphy returned as the Scarecrow in his smallest role yet in a Nolan film.

Dunkirk (2017)

His character might not have even had a name, being credited just as ‘the Shivering Soldier’, but Murphy managed to stand out in Nolan’s war epic Dunkirk when all the spotlight was on musician Harry Styles’s debut in films. The only survivor of a U-boat attack, the Shivering Soldier is the face of desperation in the film about the titular battle.