Christopher Nolan says a surprising sex scene in 'Oppenheimer' shows just how intrusive the hearings were in real-life: 'He was being split open for all to see'

• Warning: Spoilers below if you haven't seen "Oppenheimer."
• Christopher Nolan told Insider his use of sex in one of the hearing scenes was to show how "uncomfortable" it was.

"Oppenheimer" marks the first time Christopher Nolan features sex scenes in one of his movies, and he used it for a lot of shock value in one specific scene.

After Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) created the atomic bomb and it is dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by President Truman, the physicist uses his notoriety to speak out on the dangers of a nuclear weapon and the need for its regulation.

It leads to anger among some in Washington D.C., especially as the Cold War with the Soviet Union nears. Oppenheimer, who is also against the creation of the hydrogen bomb, is then thrust into hearings by senators who want to revoke his security clearance.

Along with being questioned about his Communist ties, Oppenheimer is also questioned about his extramarital affairs, specifically with Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh), who is a Communist.

In a gut-wrenching scene in which Oppenheimer has to answer personal questions about the affair as his wife Kitty (Emily Blunt) sits behind him, Nolan enhances the cringeworthiness by first showing Oppenheimer naked as he sits in the hearing. Tatlock is then shown on top of him. They have sex in front of the senators and Kitty.

The fantasy aspect in the scene is a jarring visual that Nolan told Insider was needed to drive home just how intrusive it must have been for Oppenheimer to go through in real life.

"One of the things that was so striking about the real-life situation in which Oppenheimer found himself in these security hearings is they were conducted in a very shabby small space with a very peculiar intimacy," Nolan said, as the hearings were not done in a public space but in a small office room.

"He was being interrogated about the most intimate details about his entire life and the witnesses who would testify, he was sitting three feet behind them the entire time," Nolan continued. "His wife was sitting right behind him as these most intimate details of his life were being unfolded and he was being split open for all to see."

That's right. If it seemed weird that Kitty was sitting behind Oppenheimer as he was being questioned, it wasn't an artistic choice by Nolan — that's how it really happened.

"I really wanted to push as hard in the direction of showing how uncomfortable that must have been and how strange that must have been for everyone involved," Nolan said.

And on top of that, the dialogue in the scene in which Oppenheimer speaks about his affair with Tatlock is really what the man said in the real-life moment.

"The dialogue in that moment is from the transcripts," Nolan revealed. "I didn't write it. It really is what was said there. It's a really shocking piece of history and I wanted to really bring that to life for people."

"Oppenheimer" is currently playing in theaters.