Several celebrities, including J Robert Oppenheimer’s grandson, have signed an open letter pleading for nuclear disarmament, days before Christopher Nolan’s epic 'Oppenheimer' is expected to sweep up at the Oscars.
ADVERTISEMENTEmma Thompson, Julianne Moore and many more have joined the campaign for nuclear disarmament by signing an open letter, as part of the Make Nukes History initiative.
“As artists and advocates, we want to raise our voices to remind people that while Oppenheimer is history, nuclear weapons are not,” reads the open letter, published today in the L.A. Times. “At a time of great uncertainty, even one nuclear weapon – on land, under the sea, in the air, or in space – is too many. To protect our families, our communities, and our world, we must demand that global leaders work to make nuclear weapons history – and build a brighter future.”
Others signing the letter include Oppenheimer cast members Matthew Modine and Tony Goldwyn and costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, as well as J Robert Oppenheimer’s grandson Charles.
“Every person should be educated about the incredible destructive power of nuclear weapons,” Modine said. “Understanding the threat illuminates a necessary path toward their elimination.”
Michael Douglas, Ellen Burstyn, Jane Fonda, Christoph Waltz, Lily Tomlin, Alan Cumming, Annie Lennox, Bill Nye, Rosanna Arquette and Viggo Mortensen have also signed in support.
This letter comes before Oppenheimer ’s predicted success at the Oscars this Sunday, and the campaign, launched by the Nuclear Threat Initiative, will see roughly 1,000 posters saying “Oppenheimer Started It, We Can End It” plastered across LA. A billboard campaign is also underway.
“Robert Oppenheimer warned against developing even more powerful weapons and predicted that dangerous arms races would follow. He was right,” said Nuclear Threat Initiative CEO and former Secretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz in a statement.
“Today, nine countries hold 13,000 nuclear weapons, a new arms race is underway and nuclear sabre-rattling has reappeared. We face huge geopolitical challenges - but political will is needed to bring us back from the brink. And political will is created when people demand it.”
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