Cillian Murphy Q&A in advance of Cork return: 'First album? I wish I could say it was something cool'
Cillian Murphy in Toronto at the weekend at the world premiere of Steve. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty)
Cillian Murphy is looking forward to this year’s Sounds From A Safe Harbour festival. Though the Cork actor has been part of the curation team for the biennial event since its inauguration in 2015, his low-profile support role evolves into front-and-centre stardom this time around with the European premiere of his latest film at the Arc cinema.
The 49-year-old has said he’s delighted to bring the first showing on this side of the Atlantic to his home town for what will be only his second film premiere in Cork, following the Mahon Point launch of in 2006.
based on a novel by fellow Safe Harbour co-curator Max Porter, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival recently, and received warm reviews all round. critic Declan Burke gave the tale of a UK reform school five stars, describing it as “a gripping drama infused with mordant humour”.
will get a cinema release in Ireland later this month, before becoming available on Netflix from October 3.
The Safe Harbour festival kicks off on Thursday, September 11, with a tribute to late Cork musician Eoin French (Talos) at the city’s Opera House.
As well as showing at the festival, Murphy has also been hands-on with the expanded film strand at this year’s event. Music documentaries showing over the next few days include films on Jeff Buckley, Dónal Lunny and Broken Social Scene, while drama – scored by Safe Harbour co-curator Bryce Dessner – will have its Irish premiere at the Arc.
Meanwhile, we asked Murphy about some of his own music tastes through the years.
"I wish I could say it was something cool, but it was The Final Countdown, by Europe. I got it on cassette, probably from Golden Discs. But you still can’t knock that riff… one of the greatest ever!"
"I used to borrow albums from the City Library. It was probably the Frank and Walters, and The Beatles, all around the same time."
"I can remember going to see The Frames in Nancy Spain’s [Barrack Street] when I was about 14. I also remember going to see the Frank & Walters in the City Hall around the same era."
"I do remember going to an early Oxegen and getting covered in mud. But I always hated camping – and still do. I prefer to go to a gig and go to the pub, and then go home. I watch Glastonbury on the telly!"
"I was travelling in France and Radiohead were playing in an amphitheater nearby. It was around the era. I had tickets but there was a big storm and the gig was cancelled. I have seen them since, but would’ve loved to have seen that gig."
"Bov Iver in the Opera House in 2017, the second festival. I was at it with Enda Walsh, and we were about to go into rehearsal for *. I just remember being completely captivated by his presence on stage.
I’ve always been interested in the performer needing to transmit this feeling of confidence. The audience wants to know you can succeed. At the time I was very apprehensive about doing that show but seeing Bon Iver up there was truly inspiring. He was so vulnerable but yet so in command, and that’s kind of what you want as a performer."
"There's lots of stuff that that will just happen spontaneously. They're my favorite gigs, the ones that you just hear about - you get a text going, ‘there's a gig happening now’. And you leg it down there, and there's this amazing show on. I love that, just running around, finding out what's on. The big shows are brilliant as well, but it's the little exciting, unannounced ones that really get me going."
*Murphy starred in a stage adaptation of the Max Porter book in 2018, directed by Enda Walsh
- Sounds From A Safe Harbour takes place at various venues in Cork on September 11-14. See soundsfromasafeharbour.com
