'I just can't believe my luck': Cillian Murphy reacts backstage to his Oscar win
Cillian Murphy poses in the press room with his Oscar. Picture: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Oscar-winning Cork actor Cillian Murphy has reacted to his historic win in Hollywood, where he picked up the best actor award for Oppenheimer.
Murphy said he was still “in a little bit of a daze” after the win but felt an overwhelming sense of pride at being an Irish actor.
“I’m very overwhelmed, very humbled. I’m very grateful and very proud to be Irish standing here today,” he told press backstage at the Oscars.
He revealed he was unsure of what he had said in his acceptance speech but he wanted to stress how significant it was to him that he is the first Irish-born actor to win an Oscar.
“It’s really, really meaningful to me and I don't know if I said this in my speech because I can't remember what I said, but I do want to say that I think in Ireland, we're really great at supporting artists,” he said.
“I think we need to continue to support artists and the next generation of actors and directors. I think that's vitally important.”
He had earlier told the awards ceremony he was "a very proud Irish man standing here tonight".
Murphy said he is overjoyed to share his success with director Christopher Nolan, who also won his first Oscar on Sunday night. Murphy first collaborated with Nolan in 2005, as Scarecrow in Batman Begins, reprising the role in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. He also appeared in Nolan’s films Inception and Dunkirk.
“This has been a huge, huge moment for me. The movie is so special to me. Myself and Chris have such a special relationship, but I just feel very privileged to be continuing to work with him.
“We've been working together for 20 years. I think he's the perfect director, he’s an extraordinary writer. He's an extraordinary producer, he's a visually extraordinary director of actors. He presents his film like no one else does in the world.
“I just can't believe my luck. I did a screen test for him when I was a kid and I thought that would be it and it would be just enough to be in a room with Chris for a couple of hours and here we are. So I'm just so humbled and thankful.”
He added how honoured he felt that audiences went in their droves to see Oppenheimer.
“I’m very proud that this is a film that is provocative and that asks questions and is challenging, but yet, so many people want to see it. I'm really, really proud of that. It's very, very special.”
Murphy has received much acclaim for his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, having also been presented with a Golden Globe, a Bafta and a Screen Actors Guild Award, among other awards for the role.
