Cillian Murphy on Oppenheimer, moving home, and why he hates being snapped in public
Cillian Murphy.
Cork actor Cillian Murphy has given a rare interview in which he spoke on topics like Peaky Blinders, living with fame and his new movie, Oppenheimer.
Murphy, 47, is on the cover of the latest Rolling Stone magazine in the UK and he speaks candidly from the set of Small Things Like These about his career as well as aspects of his private life.
Small Things Like These is an adaptation of Claire Keegan’s acclaimed novella. Keegan also wrote the book behind the Oscar-nominated An Cailín Ciúin. With the story's focus on the place of a Magdalene laundry in Wexford, Murphy says mediums like books and films can help Ireland process its relationship and history with the Catholic church.
“Everyone in Ireland that you talk to, of a certain generation, more or less has a story. It’s just in Irish people,” he said. “What happened with the church, I think we’re still kind of processing it. And art can be a balm for that.”
Filming is taking place in Wexford at a former school that once operated as a laundry and Murphy noted the atmosphere adds to their acting.
“You can feel the texture, and in the tiny house where we shot, you can feel the claustrophobia. Chris [Nolan] is also a big fan of that. If you’re put in the right environment, you will act differently when you walk on set with your fucking soy latte, or whatever.”
Murphy and Nolan have worked together numerous times in the past and they have teamed up once more for Oppenheimer, a film about the creator of the atomic bomb, who is played by Murphy. The film is highly anticipated and there has already been some Oscar buzz around it. Murphy said the script, which was written entirely in the first person, is amazing.
“I think it’s the best script I ever read,” Murphy said. “[Nolan] just said he wanted everything to be seen through the eyes of Oppenheimer.
“With that intellect — which I think can actually be a burden — you’re not seeing stuff in the normal plane that we do. Everything is multifaceted and about to collapse. It’d be a terrible way to buy milk or cut the grass, I’d say.”
Away from the screen, Murphy discussed his family’s move from London to Ireland in recent years, saying the promise of a dog sealed the deal for his sons. He said he and his wife, artist Yvonne McGuinness, wanted their children to be “reared Irish”.
“We had 14 years in London. But as you hit your late thirties and have kids, living in a major metropolis is less exciting. Also we’re both Irish. We wanted the kids to be reared Irish. I think it’s the best decision we made,” he said.
“They’re really good boys. We don’t do ‘Dad’s Movie Night,’ but they like some of my films. They say all my films are really intense.”
One intense role Murphy is famous for is that of Tommy Shelby, who he played for six seasons in Peaky Blinders. On the possibility of a Peaky Blinders film, Murphy said he would be willing to be involved — but only if the story is right.
“If there’s more story there, I’d love to do it,” he said. “But it has to be right.
“Steve Knight wrote 36 hours of television, and we left on such a high. I’m really proud of that last season. So, it would have to feel legitimate and justified to do more.”
One downside to his success, he says, is having to do media interviews, and Rolling Stones writer Christina Newland notes Murphy’s evident nerves ahead of their chat. At one point, Murphy said: “interviews are like commuting. You have to commute to get to your destination.
“I don’t really partake. I don’t go out. I’m just at home mostly, or with my friends, unless I have a film to promote. I don’t like being photographed by people.
“I think it’s the Tommy Shelby thing. People expect this mysterious [person] … it’s just a character. It can ruin experiences, because it fetishizes everything: You can be walking down the street and someone takes a picture, like this is a fucking event. It kind of destroys nuance and human behavior, but that’s part and parcel of [fame].
“Fame evaporates with regularity. I’m around here [a restaurant in Wexford] all the time and no one gives a fucking shit. It dissipates. But if … one of the guys from Succession walked in here, I’d be all intimidated and shaky. When you’re confronted with someone you’ve invested a lot in, or you think is amazing, the encounter is strange.”
