Roy Keane still the most famous Corkman, says Oscar-bound Cillian Murphy

Aer Lingus Cabin Crew Sarah Browne and Rhys Donohue welcoming Cillian Murphy as he boards Aer Lingus flight EI 069 to Los Angeles, ahead of the Academy Awards taking place Sunday Picture:  Naoise Culhane

Cillian Murphy has said the support that he has been getting ahead of the Oscars ceremony this weekend has been "lovely" and has said it is so "humbling and overwhelming." 

The Cork native jetted off to Los Angeles on Wednesday with his family ahead of the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday. 

The actor has been nominated for his role as J Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's epic biopic Oppenheimer - which has already secured a host of major awards. The film is firm favourite to pick up several of the biggest prizes at this weekend's Oscars.

Mr Murphy has so far won in the category of Best Actor at the Golden Globes, the Baftas, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. 

However, while tensions are running high as to who will win the Best Actor category at the Oscars, the 47-year-old said that he's "just going to enjoy it" and "what will be will be." 

Cillian Murphy attends the US-Ireland Alliance's 2024 Oscar Wilde Awards at Bad Robot on Thursday Picture: Leon Bennett/Getty Images

He added that it was a"lovely feeling" to see the support he has been receiving.

"At the moment, it’s kind of a whirlwind, and it is so humbling and overwhelming and you are kind of just in it," Mr Murphy told RTÉ's Morning Ireland on Friday. 

"And you know everyone says this, and it's true, no one makes films to win awards, we just make them because we enjoy making them, mostly for ourselves and if audiences go for it and understand it, that’s a bonus. 

"So, honestly, that’s all that I am thinking about at the moment, is this great celebration of film and of the great year we’ve had for cinema," he added. 

The actor further commended the "good gang" of Irish filmmakers and actors that have been rising through the film industry at the moment and added that it "was lovely" to be a part of them. 

"Brilliant performances by Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. There’s a good gang of us, there’s Saoirse [Ronan], Jessie Buckley. There seems to be a good crop at the moment and of course Poor Things, it’s lovely to be a part of that," Mr Murphy added. 

In addition to Mr Murphy's nomination, production company Element Pictures has been nominated for 11 awards for Poor Things. 

It co-produced Poor Things, the latest film from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, which counts Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo among its stars.

The film has the second-highest nominations of any film in the running, only beaten out by Oppenheimer which received 13. 

Finally, as to whether the actor considered himself the most famous Cork man ahead of the likes of Graham Norton or Roy Keane, he declined and said no one "will be more famous than Roy Keane coming out of Cork."

"I'm a big Roy Keane fan, so he's always number one for me. Sorry, Graham!," he added.