Stars including Julianne MooreJane Fonda and Emma Thompson have added their names to an open letter from world leaders urging nuclear disarmament.
Like Christopher Nolan's hit biopic Oppenheimerwhich tells the story of the man who created the atomic bomb, is set to dominate the Academy Awards this weekend, a coalition of actors and activists has formed to raise awareness of the current nuclear danger in the world.
The letter recalls that 13,000 nuclear weapons are held by nine countries, approximately 80 times more powerful than those which destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
“As artists and advocates, we want to raise our voices to remind people that while Oppenheimer is a thing of the past, nuclear weapons are not,” the letter reads. “In a time of great uncertainty, even one nuclear weapon – on land, under the sea, in the air or in space – is one weapon too many. To protect our families, our communities and our world, we must demand that world leaders work to make nuclear weapons history – and build a better future.
J Robert Oppenheimer's grandson Charles also added his name to the letter alongside a few stars of the film, including Tony Goldwyn and Matthew Modine.
“Everyone should be informed about the incredible destructive power of nuclear weapons,” Modine said. “Understanding the threat provides the necessary path towards its elimination. »
Other names include Michael DouglasEllen Burstyn, Alan Cumming, Bill Nye, Christoph Waltz, Lily Tomlin, Viggo Mortensen and Annie Lennox.
It's part of a new campaign called Makes Nukes History, launched by the Nuclear Threat Initiative, which also includes a billboard campaign and an art installation. At Sunday's Academy Awards in Los Angeles, about 1,000 posters across the city will use the film's reported success to draw attention to the ongoing problem.
Ernest J. Moniz, CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative and former Secretary of Energy, said: “Robert Oppenheimer warned of the development of even more powerful weapons and predicted that dangerous arms races would ensue. . He was right.”