WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.240 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we're tackling, 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:05.540 well, a really fascinating career arc. Someone 00:00:05.540 --> 00:00:08.939 who just doesn't fit the typical Hollywood mold. 00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:13.199 The incredibly intense and often quiet Cillian 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:15.279 Murphy. Yeah, it's definitely more than just 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:16.940 a standard career path, isn't it? It's almost 00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:18.859 like a deliberate study in artistic integrity. 00:00:19.179 --> 00:00:21.480 I mean, his recent success with Oppenheimer. 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:26.469 Wow. That huge awards suite, the Oscar, the BAFTA, 00:00:26.550 --> 00:00:29.350 Golden Globes, it feels sudden to some people, 00:00:29.410 --> 00:00:31.609 maybe. Right, like he just appeared. Exactly. 00:00:31.829 --> 00:00:34.750 But it's really the peak, the absolute culmination 00:00:34.750 --> 00:00:36.950 of, what, three decades of work, work marked 00:00:36.950 --> 00:00:40.869 by incredible range, really deep stage roots, 00:00:40.990 --> 00:00:42.649 and something we have to keep coming back to, 00:00:42.710 --> 00:00:45.369 this very deliberate privacy. Absolutely. And 00:00:45.369 --> 00:00:47.530 for this deep dive, we've gathered, well, extensive 00:00:47.530 --> 00:00:49.210 sources. We're looking at his whole professional 00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:51.710 history, even bits of his personal life to understand 00:00:51.710 --> 00:00:54.770 how this reserved artist who, you know, actually 00:00:54.770 --> 00:00:56.390 wanted to be a rock star. Which is amazing in 00:00:56.390 --> 00:01:00.009 itself. It is. How he navigated from that. Through 00:01:00.009 --> 00:01:02.829 theater, indie films, playing supervillains, 00:01:02.869 --> 00:01:06.590 iconic TV roles to finally reaching this like 00:01:06.590 --> 00:01:10.030 ultimate critical acclaim as the lead in a massive 00:01:10.030 --> 00:01:12.590 global blockbuster. So our mission for you, the 00:01:12.590 --> 00:01:14.629 listener, is to kind of break down the key moments, 00:01:14.670 --> 00:01:16.650 the pivotal stages of this journey. We really 00:01:16.650 --> 00:01:19.209 want to spotlight this. specific projects. Yeah. 00:01:19.390 --> 00:01:21.689 But maybe more importantly, the personal choices, 00:01:21.849 --> 00:01:24.629 the decisions he made that reveal who he is as 00:01:24.629 --> 00:01:27.129 an actor, someone who just thrives on transformation, 00:01:27.189 --> 00:01:29.790 but actively avoids that whole celebrity machine. 00:01:29.849 --> 00:01:32.069 Yeah. That tension you mentioned, the drive for 00:01:32.069 --> 00:01:34.469 challenging work versus the total avoidance of 00:01:34.469 --> 00:01:36.430 fame that comes with it. That seems to be the 00:01:36.430 --> 00:01:38.530 core thing we're exploring here. It really is. 00:01:38.670 --> 00:01:41.519 So let's dive in right at the start. Cork. and 00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:43.500 the life he almost chose okay so quark ireland 00:01:43.500 --> 00:01:47.099 born may 25th 1976 grew up in douglas then ballen 00:01:47.099 --> 00:01:48.939 temple and the sources really paint this picture 00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:52.799 of a family deeply rooted in well Oh, completely. 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:55.019 You could almost call it the family business, 00:01:55.159 --> 00:01:57.799 couldn't you? His mother talked French. His father 00:01:57.799 --> 00:02:00.040 was with the Department of Education. And it 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:02.239 didn't stop there. Grandfather, aunts, uncles, 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:05.340 all teachers. It's quite a legacy. And he attended 00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:08.259 Presentation Brothers College, which is a fee 00:02:08.259 --> 00:02:11.000 -paying Catholic school. But it sounds like there 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:13.159 was some friction there early on. Yeah, definitely. 00:02:13.639 --> 00:02:16.180 Academically, he was apparently quite successful, 00:02:16.379 --> 00:02:19.379 did well. But he also admitted he got into trouble 00:02:19.379 --> 00:02:22.139 a fair bit, you know, even got suspended. He 00:02:22.139 --> 00:02:24.719 felt the school really prioritized sports over 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:27.000 everything else. And the artistic side, the stuff 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:29.280 he was drawn to, got neglected. Pretty much, 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:31.699 yeah. That neglect sort of created a space, I 00:02:31.699 --> 00:02:34.199 think. And his first escape wasn't even acting. 00:02:34.259 --> 00:02:37.900 It was music. But there's this one key moment, 00:02:38.020 --> 00:02:40.120 this little spark of drama came from outside 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:43.099 the school curriculum. Ah, the Corkadorka Theater 00:02:43.099 --> 00:02:46.379 Company thing. Exactly. A drama module run by 00:02:46.379 --> 00:02:49.419 their director. Pat Kiernan. And Murphy himself 00:02:49.419 --> 00:02:51.520 described that experience. It was like a switch 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:54.379 flicking. He called it a huge high, feeling fully 00:02:54.379 --> 00:02:57.180 alive. That really grabbed him. And his English 00:02:57.180 --> 00:02:59.560 teacher, William Wall, who's actually a novelist, 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:02.060 encouraged him, too. But still, at this point, 00:03:02.099 --> 00:03:04.099 acting wasn't the main plan, right? It was all 00:03:04.099 --> 00:03:06.639 about the music. Absolutely. Rock star dreams. 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:09.840 He started young, writing songs, performing from 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:13.120 about age 10. And he had this band with his younger 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:16.330 brother, Pity. The Sons of Mr. Green Jeans. I 00:03:16.330 --> 00:03:18.590 love that name. It's brilliant, isn't it? After 00:03:18.590 --> 00:03:21.409 Frank Zappa, apparently they were obsessed with 00:03:21.409 --> 00:03:24.569 the Beatles and the sources say they specialized 00:03:24.569 --> 00:03:27.509 in wacky lyrics and endless guitar solos. That's 00:03:27.509 --> 00:03:30.009 like fun. Yeah, it does. But here's the really 00:03:30.009 --> 00:03:32.349 crucial part, the bit that feels like a preview 00:03:32.349 --> 00:03:35.189 of his whole career philosophy. They got close, 00:03:35.349 --> 00:03:37.530 like really close to making it. Yeah, they were 00:03:37.530 --> 00:03:40.460 offered a five album deal. Acid jazz records. 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:42.740 Just imagine if he'd signed that in his late 00:03:42.740 --> 00:03:44.240 teens. His whole life would have been completely 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:46.740 different. It's a massive what if. But they turned 00:03:46.740 --> 00:03:50.139 it down. Why? Well, a couple reasons. Partly 00:03:50.139 --> 00:03:52.819 practical piety. His brother was still in school, 00:03:53.020 --> 00:03:55.599 which was a big factor. But also, and this is 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:59.199 key, they really disagreed with the terms. especially 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:01.099 the money offered for Murphy's compositions. 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:03.599 It felt like they'd be signing away all the rights, 00:04:03.780 --> 00:04:05.919 you know. And that right there, even as a teenager, 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:08.620 tells you so much. It's not just a funny story 00:04:08.620 --> 00:04:11.360 about a band. It's the first clear sign of this, 00:04:11.479 --> 00:04:14.879 like, fierce need for autonomy, for creative 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:17.519 control. Absolutely. He was, what, 19? Yeah. 00:04:17.620 --> 00:04:20.019 And willing to walk away from a potentially life 00:04:20.019 --> 00:04:21.980 -altering deal because he didn't want to be locked 00:04:21.980 --> 00:04:24.819 in, didn't want to lose ownership. He said later 00:04:24.819 --> 00:04:26.560 he was relieved they didn't sign. What did he 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:28.420 say exactly? Something like it would have meant 00:04:28.420 --> 00:04:30.540 signing away your life to a label and the whole 00:04:30.540 --> 00:04:33.439 of your music. You see that distrust of the industry 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:35.740 machine right from the start. And that philosophy, 00:04:35.899 --> 00:04:37.600 this sort of guarding of his own creative space, 00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:40.259 you see it again and again later on. Right up 00:04:40.259 --> 00:04:42.019 to him starting his own production company recently. 00:04:42.319 --> 00:04:45.379 Okay, so music nearly happened. But before acting 00:04:45.379 --> 00:04:47.920 really took hold, there was another path he tried 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:51.959 briefly. Law school. University College Cork, 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:56.920 UCC. Started in 96, lasted all of one year. Failed 00:04:56.920 --> 00:04:59.740 his first year exams. Yep. He was pretty blunt 00:04:59.740 --> 00:05:01.699 about it later, just said he had no ambitions 00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:05.000 to do it. Knew almost immediately it wasn't for 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:08.120 him. The real shift, the pivot back towards performance, 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:12.060 came after seeing a play. Let me guess, Pat Kiernan 00:05:12.060 --> 00:05:14.560 again. You got it. Kiernan's production of A 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:17.360 Clockwork Orange, that seems to have really solidified 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:19.819 things for him. But even then, when he first 00:05:19.819 --> 00:05:22.639 got involved with the UCC Drama Society, his 00:05:22.639 --> 00:05:25.100 motives weren't exactly pure artistic striving 00:05:25.100 --> 00:05:27.300 at first. What was it then? He actually admitted 00:05:27.300 --> 00:05:29.420 his main reason for joining was, and I quote, 00:05:29.639 --> 00:05:32.959 to go to parties and meet women. Even though 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:35.399 he ended up getting lead roles, like in Little 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:38.120 Shop of Horrors. That's hilarious and so relatable, 00:05:38.180 --> 00:05:40.220 actually, for someone who became known for such 00:05:40.220 --> 00:05:43.420 serious, intense roles. Totally. But that initial, 00:05:43.540 --> 00:05:46.220 maybe more casual motivation, it obviously shifted 00:05:46.220 --> 00:05:47.939 pretty quickly once he really committed to the 00:05:47.939 --> 00:05:49.899 craft itself, once he really felt that power 00:05:49.899 --> 00:05:52.720 of live performance again. Okay, so music's out. 00:05:52.819 --> 00:05:55.300 Law school's definitely out. Parties and women 00:05:55.300 --> 00:05:58.720 maybe took a back seat because suddenly acting 00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:00.920 is the focus. And once he decided, it sounds 00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:03.500 like he went all in back to Pat Kiernan. Yep, 00:06:03.560 --> 00:06:06.560 determined. The sources say he basically kept 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:09.220 pressuring Kiernan until he finally got an audition 00:06:09.220 --> 00:06:12.040 with Corka Dorka. That persistence paid off. 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:14.740 And that landed him his professional debut. September 00:06:14.740 --> 00:06:18.899 1996. A play by Enda Walsh called Disco Pigs, 00:06:18.939 --> 00:06:21.339 he played this really volatile Cork teenager, 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:24.720 Pig. Apparently Enda Walsh saw something special 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:26.939 right away, called him incredibly enigmatic, 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:29.500 said he had real presence. And Disco Pigs, that 00:06:29.500 --> 00:06:31.759 wasn't just a small local run, was it? No, not 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:33.819 at all. It was only meant to run for three weeks 00:06:33.819 --> 00:06:36.480 in Cork initially, but it just took off. Ended 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:39.220 up touring for two solid years, Europe, Canada, 00:06:39.420 --> 00:06:42.000 Australia. The whole thing. Wow. So that was 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:43.879 it then, the point of no return. Pretty much. 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:46.959 That tour meant he had to officially leave university, 00:06:47.139 --> 00:06:49.540 had to leave the band behind. Theater became 00:06:49.540 --> 00:06:51.480 everything. It was his drama school, effectively. 00:06:51.560 --> 00:06:54.040 He just kept working on stage, much ado about 00:06:54.040 --> 00:06:57.100 nothing in 98, Juno and the Peacock in 99. And 00:06:57.100 --> 00:06:59.139 critics started noticing him? Yeah, they started 00:06:59.139 --> 00:07:02.279 pointing out his subtlety. his intelligence on 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:04.620 stage. There was a play called The Shape of Things 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:08.220 in 2002 where he got praised for impressive subtlety 00:07:08.220 --> 00:07:10.420 and intelligence. That stage discipline is so 00:07:10.420 --> 00:07:12.379 important for understanding his later film work. 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:14.459 He learned that intense focus there. And the 00:07:14.459 --> 00:07:16.720 jump from stage to screen, it happened pretty 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:20.420 quickly after that, and it was big. Huge. His 00:07:20.420 --> 00:07:22.860 first major screen role wasn't some small Irish 00:07:22.860 --> 00:07:25.639 indie film. It was Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:28.519 a massive genre -bending horror film that came 00:07:28.519 --> 00:07:30.870 out in 2002. How did that casting happen? off 00:07:30.870 --> 00:07:33.350 the back of the stage work. Directly, yeah. The 00:07:33.350 --> 00:07:35.209 casting director, Gail Stevens, she'd seen him 00:07:35.209 --> 00:07:37.529 in Disco Pigs. She recommended him to Boyle. 00:07:37.790 --> 00:07:40.250 She apparently noted his physicality, that slightly 00:07:40.250 --> 00:07:43.310 sort of drained, almost dreamy quality he had, 00:07:43.470 --> 00:07:45.449 which was perfect for Jim, the guy waking from 00:07:45.449 --> 00:07:48.209 a coma into this empty, terrifying London. Right, 00:07:48.290 --> 00:07:50.730 Jim. Waking up to, oh, chaos. And there's that 00:07:50.730 --> 00:07:53.269 story about him appearing nude early in the film. 00:07:53.470 --> 00:07:55.629 Yeah, the sources mention that. Apparently it 00:07:55.629 --> 00:07:57.350 wasn't just for shock value. The decision was 00:07:57.350 --> 00:08:00.180 actually based on how slender. Almost frail, 00:08:00.180 --> 00:08:02.959 he looked on set. The production team felt his 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:05.240 physique really sold the vulnerability of someone 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:07.860 just waking up after weeks in a hospital. Interesting 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:11.339 detail, and the film itself. Huge impact. Oh, 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:14.339 massive. It became this unexpected global hit 00:08:14.339 --> 00:08:18.339 in 2003. Suddenly, Cillian Murphy was visible 00:08:18.339 --> 00:08:21.259 to a huge international audience. And he wasn't 00:08:21.259 --> 00:08:23.199 afraid to claim the film's significance either. 00:08:23.300 --> 00:08:25.920 He later said something like, We were the first 00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:28.360 people to make zombies run, and that changed 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:30.360 everything. Which is kind of true, actually. 00:08:30.420 --> 00:08:32.639 It did revitalize that genre. Totally. Put him 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:34.860 right in the spotlight. But at the same time, 00:08:34.860 --> 00:08:37.460 while this horror hit was exploding, he was still 00:08:37.460 --> 00:08:40.600 doing Irish films. Like Intermission with Colin 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:43.820 Farrell. Exactly. Intermission in 2003. He played 00:08:43.820 --> 00:08:45.679 this sort of down -on -his -look supermarket 00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:49.600 worker involved in a heist. A mix of comedy and 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:51.500 crime. And that film did really well in Ireland, 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:53.480 didn't it? Yeah. For a while, it was the highest 00:08:53.480 --> 00:08:56.759 grossing Irish independent film ever. which shows 00:08:56.759 --> 00:08:59.279 he could carry a local production, too. Critics 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:02.320 really liked his range in it, praised his fluent 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.620 ease, that graceful and wholly believable intensity. 00:09:06.259 --> 00:09:08.759 He could be the zombie apocalypse survivor one 00:09:08.759 --> 00:09:11.840 minute and this kind of sad sack Dublin guy the 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:14.620 next. So his profile's rising, Hollywood starts 00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:17.360 calling, but maybe with smaller parts. Right. 00:09:17.659 --> 00:09:20.879 Supporting roles, but memorable ones. Roles that 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:24.090 got him seen without him having to, like... sell 00:09:24.090 --> 00:09:26.409 his soul to the studio system just yet. Like 00:09:26.409 --> 00:09:28.370 what? Well, he played a butchering girl with 00:09:28.370 --> 00:09:31.269 a pearl earring in 2003, and then a deserting 00:09:31.269 --> 00:09:33.570 soldier in Cold Mountain, also 2003. That was 00:09:33.570 --> 00:09:35.070 a huge movie, obviously. Cold Mountain, yeah. 00:09:35.190 --> 00:09:37.909 Big epic. Massive. But he said he was only actually 00:09:37.909 --> 00:09:40.070 on location in Romania for about a week for his 00:09:40.070 --> 00:09:42.210 part. So these were kind of strategic appearances, 00:09:42.470 --> 00:09:44.629 you know? Dip a toe in the big Hollywood pond, 00:09:44.769 --> 00:09:46.909 let people see him, learn how those huge productions 00:09:46.909 --> 00:09:49.370 worked, but then step back. Still protecting 00:09:49.370 --> 00:09:52.519 that autonomy. Okay, let's talk about 2005. Because 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:55.440 this year feels absolutely pivotal. It kind of 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:57.700 cemented his image for playing these incredible 00:09:57.700 --> 00:10:01.220 villains. And crucially, it's the start of that 00:10:01.220 --> 00:10:03.460 massive collaboration with Christopher Nolan. 00:10:03.720 --> 00:10:07.100 Yeah. 2005 is huge. And it all kicks off with 00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:10.120 Batman Begins. The story there is almost legend 00:10:10.120 --> 00:10:12.980 now, right? He actually auditioned for Bruce 00:10:12.980 --> 00:10:15.340 Wayne. For Batman himself. Knowing he probably 00:10:15.340 --> 00:10:18.039 wouldn't get it. Exactly. He knew he didn't have 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:20.580 the physical build for the traditional superhero 00:10:20.580 --> 00:10:24.179 type. He was leaner, more intense. But Nolan 00:10:24.179 --> 00:10:26.620 saw something else. Totally. Nolan was apparently 00:10:26.620 --> 00:10:28.679 blown away, not by his Bruce Wayne, but just 00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:32.259 by his presence on screen, his intensity. So 00:10:32.259 --> 00:10:34.860 Nolan specifically cast him as Dr. Jonathan Crane, 00:10:34.940 --> 00:10:37.450 the Scarecrow. A villain whose threat is much 00:10:37.450 --> 00:10:39.190 more psychological. And Nolan really focused 00:10:39.190 --> 00:10:41.289 on his eyes, didn't he? Oh, yeah. There's that 00:10:41.289 --> 00:10:43.289 great quote from Nolan in Spin Magazine where 00:10:43.289 --> 00:10:45.950 he said Murphy had the most extraordinary eyes. 00:10:46.509 --> 00:10:48.509 And he loved them so much, he apparently kept 00:10:48.509 --> 00:10:51.149 inventing reasons in the script for Scarecrow 00:10:51.149 --> 00:10:53.970 to take his glasses off in close -ups just to 00:10:53.970 --> 00:10:56.659 get those eyes on camera. That's amazing. A director 00:10:56.659 --> 00:10:59.480 literally changing shots to feature an actor's 00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:01.440 eyes. It shows you how striking that feature 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:04.980 was and how central it became to his screen persona, 00:11:05.259 --> 00:11:08.539 especially for villains. And then if Batman Begins 00:11:08.539 --> 00:11:11.580 introduced those intense eyes, the other big 00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:14.899 film from 2005, Red Eye, really put them to work. 00:11:14.980 --> 00:11:17.789 Ah, the Wes Craven thriller. On the plane with 00:11:17.789 --> 00:11:20.190 Rachel McAdam. That's the one. He plays Jackson 00:11:20.190 --> 00:11:22.149 Ribner, this charming but utterly terrifying 00:11:22.149 --> 00:11:24.690 guy. And the critics just latched onto it. The 00:11:24.690 --> 00:11:27.309 New York Times reviewer wrote his baby blues 00:11:27.309 --> 00:11:30.250 look cold enough to freeze water. Chilling stuff. 00:11:30.450 --> 00:11:32.490 And Red Eye was a big hit financially, too, right? 00:11:32.570 --> 00:11:35.029 Yeah. Made nearly $100 million worldwide. So 00:11:35.029 --> 00:11:37.490 that really solidified him in the public mind 00:11:37.490 --> 00:11:40.629 as this compelling, intelligent, maybe slightly 00:11:40.629 --> 00:11:43.029 unsettling villain. He was definitely having 00:11:43.029 --> 00:11:44.970 a moment. Entertainment Weekly called him one 00:11:44.970 --> 00:11:47.570 of their summer MVPs. The New Yorker said he 00:11:47.570 --> 00:11:50.169 was one of the most elegantly seductive monsters 00:11:50.169 --> 00:11:52.730 in recent movies. Elegantly seductive. That's 00:11:52.730 --> 00:11:55.309 key, isn't it? It wasn't just scary. There was 00:11:55.309 --> 00:11:57.529 a charisma there, an intelligence that made the 00:11:57.529 --> 00:11:59.769 characters really compelling, really dangerous. 00:12:00.110 --> 00:12:02.450 But here's the Cillian Murphy signature move 00:12:02.450 --> 00:12:06.009 again, right? Just as he's being typecast as 00:12:06.009 --> 00:12:08.590 the perfect villain, he does a complete 180. 00:12:08.830 --> 00:12:12.340 Exactly. In the same year. 2005, he takes on 00:12:12.340 --> 00:12:14.659 this incredibly different, incredibly vulnerable 00:12:14.659 --> 00:12:17.600 role in Breakfast on Pluto, playing Patrick, 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:21.340 or Kitten Braden, a transgender Irish woman searching 00:12:21.340 --> 00:12:23.679 for her mother in London during the Troubles. 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:25.519 Talk about transformation. That must have been 00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:28.019 a huge leap from Scarecrow and Jackson Ripner. 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:30.820 A massive leap. And it was a role he really wanted. 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:33.159 He'd apparently been lobbying the director, Neil 00:12:33.159 --> 00:12:35.860 Jordan, for years to play Kitten. Shows that 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:37.500 same persistence we saw earlier with theater 00:12:37.500 --> 00:12:39.960 auditions. When he wants a part, he goes after 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:42.139 it. And the preparation for Kitten must have 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:45.120 been intense. Oh, totally immersive. Sources 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:47.440 say he met with a transvestite who actually dressed 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:49.399 him up, took him out clubbing in character. So 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:51.700 he was really living it in a way. Plus all the 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:53.580 physical stuff. He called it serious primping. 00:12:53.860 --> 00:12:56.799 Makeup, hair removal, getting his eyebrows plucked, 00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:00.120 really committing to embodying Kitten's specific 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:02.879 kind of flamboyant yet quite fragile persona. 00:13:03.139 --> 00:13:07.009 And did that gamble. That willingness to completely 00:13:07.009 --> 00:13:11.370 shed the villain image pay off. Big time. He 00:13:11.370 --> 00:13:13.429 got his first Golden Globe nomination for it 00:13:13.429 --> 00:13:15.950 for best actor in a musical or comedy. And he 00:13:15.950 --> 00:13:18.169 won the best actor award at the Irish Film and 00:13:18.169 --> 00:13:20.850 Television Academy Awards. It absolutely demonstrated 00:13:20.850 --> 00:13:23.490 his range. It proved he wasn't just going to 00:13:23.490 --> 00:13:25.549 take the easy route and keep playing villains 00:13:25.549 --> 00:13:28.049 after his breakout success. Transformation was 00:13:28.049 --> 00:13:30.629 the goal. So 2005 is villainy and transformation. 00:13:31.029 --> 00:13:34.570 What about 2006? 2006 brings another huge and 00:13:34.570 --> 00:13:38.029 very different landmark role. The Wind That Shakes 00:13:38.029 --> 00:13:41.190 the Barley, directed by Ken Loach. Ah, the Irish 00:13:41.190 --> 00:13:42.850 War of Independence film. That must have been 00:13:42.850 --> 00:13:44.850 incredibly meaningful for him. Deeply personal, 00:13:44.950 --> 00:13:46.870 yeah. It was filmed in County Cork, where he 00:13:46.870 --> 00:13:49.500 grew up. He played Damien O'Donovan. a young 00:13:49.500 --> 00:13:51.679 docker who gives up his career to join the IRA 00:13:51.679 --> 00:13:54.100 and fight for independence, only to end up on 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:56.080 the opposing side to his own brother during the 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:58.779 Civil War. He auditioned six times for that role. 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:01.899 Six times. Wow. Yeah, he really wanted it. He 00:14:01.899 --> 00:14:04.419 called it a very special privilege to be part 00:14:04.419 --> 00:14:06.440 of it because of that connection to Cork and 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:08.759 the history. And the fame itself was huge, critically. 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:12.039 Immense. It won the Palme d 'Or, the Cannes Film 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:14.659 Festival, the top prize. And back home in Ireland, 00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:17.299 it actually broke the box office record that 00:14:17.299 --> 00:14:19.539 Intermission had set. Yeah. Became the most successful 00:14:19.539 --> 00:14:22.299 Irish independent film ever at the time. And 00:14:22.299 --> 00:14:24.620 his performance, how was that received? Really 00:14:24.620 --> 00:14:27.440 well. Critics noted how he captured both the... 00:14:27.980 --> 00:14:30.600 The idealism, the zealotry even, of the revolution, 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:33.399 but also the devastating soul -searching and 00:14:33.399 --> 00:14:35.860 the regret that came with the conflict, especially 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:38.340 the Civil War aspect. It showed he could carry 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:40.620 a film based purely on that complex internal 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:43.879 struggle. He won GQ's Actor of the Year award 00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:46.679 in 2006 for it. So by the end of 2006, he'd proven 00:14:46.679 --> 00:14:49.580 everything. Stage chops, blockbuster villain, 00:14:49.820 --> 00:14:52.080 transformative character actor, and leading man 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:55.159 in a serious historical drama. The range was 00:14:55.159 --> 00:14:57.679 undeniable. So after that intense period, say 00:14:57.679 --> 00:15:00.960 2005, 2006, Murphy really enters this next phase, 00:15:01.080 --> 00:15:03.879 maybe the late 2000s into the early 2010s, where 00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:05.960 he's consolidating his position. He's a known 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:08.340 quantity, a respected actor, and he's continuing 00:15:08.340 --> 00:15:10.419 these key collaborations while still seeking 00:15:10.419 --> 00:15:12.860 out interesting, complex roles. Right, like continuing 00:15:12.860 --> 00:15:15.279 the Nolan connection. He wasn't done with Scarecrow 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:18.279 quite yet. No, he popped up again briefly in 00:15:18.279 --> 00:15:20.980 The Dark Knight in 2008. And then again for a 00:15:20.980 --> 00:15:23.419 third time in The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. 00:15:24.190 --> 00:15:26.409 It was almost like he was Nolan's little signature, 00:15:26.649 --> 00:15:28.970 you know, a familiar face turning up, often causing 00:15:28.970 --> 00:15:30.870 a bit of trouble. He also worked with Danny Boyle 00:15:30.870 --> 00:15:33.389 again, didn't he, after 28 Days Later. Yeah, 00:15:33.429 --> 00:15:36.509 they reunited for the sci -fi film Sunshine in 00:15:36.509 --> 00:15:39.929 2007. He played a physicist, part of a crew trying 00:15:39.929 --> 00:15:42.490 to reignite the sun. And that role apparently 00:15:42.490 --> 00:15:45.389 had quite a personal impact on him. How so? Well, 00:15:45.429 --> 00:15:47.070 he mentioned that researching the physics, thinking 00:15:47.070 --> 00:15:49.110 about the vastness of space and the universe 00:15:49.110 --> 00:15:51.750 for the role, it actually shifted his own views 00:15:51.750 --> 00:15:54.549 towards atheism. Though he did add that his Catholic 00:15:54.549 --> 00:15:56.870 upbringing still kind of formed his moral compass, 00:15:57.070 --> 00:15:58.870 which is an interesting balance. And then, of 00:15:58.870 --> 00:16:01.129 course, another huge Nolan film, Inception in 00:16:01.129 --> 00:16:04.110 2010. He played Robert Fisher, the heir whose 00:16:04.110 --> 00:16:06.710 mind is the target of the whole operation. Right. 00:16:06.789 --> 00:16:09.570 So he's consistently in these massive high profile 00:16:09.570 --> 00:16:12.669 films. Right. But. And this is typical Murphy. 00:16:12.850 --> 00:16:15.389 He's also doing these other much smaller, maybe 00:16:15.389 --> 00:16:17.669 more unconventional things alongside them. Things 00:16:17.669 --> 00:16:20.789 that seem driven by artistic curiosity or even 00:16:20.789 --> 00:16:23.470 national pride. Like the postage stamp. Exactly. 00:16:23.470 --> 00:16:26.529 In 2008, Ireland put him on an actual postage 00:16:26.529 --> 00:16:28.970 stamp for his role in the wind that shakes the 00:16:28.970 --> 00:16:32.049 barley. How cool is that? Very cool. And didn't 00:16:32.049 --> 00:16:34.509 he do a silent short film around then too? Yeah, 00:16:34.549 --> 00:16:37.269 The Water in 2009. It was only 15 minutes long, 00:16:37.389 --> 00:16:40.330 almost entirely silent. And he specifically said 00:16:40.330 --> 00:16:43.370 doing that, acting without dialogue, was the 00:16:43.370 --> 00:16:46.149 hardest test for any actor. Again, seeking the 00:16:46.149 --> 00:16:48.590 challenge, not necessarily the big paycheck or 00:16:48.590 --> 00:16:51.009 the exposure. And he kept returning to the stage 00:16:51.009 --> 00:16:53.870 as well, right? Keeping those roots strong. Absolutely. 00:16:54.539 --> 00:16:56.580 Theater seems to be his creative reset button. 00:16:56.820 --> 00:16:59.639 In 2011, he did this incredibly demanding one 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:02.889 -man show called Mr. Men. written by Enda Walshigan, 00:17:03.090 --> 00:17:06.009 the writer of Disco Pigs. A one -man show. That 00:17:06.009 --> 00:17:08.750 sounds intense. Hugely intense. He played multiple 00:17:08.750 --> 00:17:11.069 characters, all quite disturbed and complex. 00:17:11.349 --> 00:17:13.769 He talked about how the live nature of it makes 00:17:13.769 --> 00:17:15.970 theater so dangerous, which is clearly something 00:17:15.970 --> 00:17:18.109 that excites him. He won a Drama Desk Award for 00:17:18.109 --> 00:17:20.069 that performance. It proved his stage skills 00:17:20.069 --> 00:17:22.150 were as sharp as ever. And speaking of intense 00:17:22.150 --> 00:17:25.049 experiences, 2012 brought red lights. Working 00:17:25.049 --> 00:17:27.420 with Robert De Niro. Ah, the De Niro moment, 00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:30.140 as you called it earlier, yeah. Murphy's reflections 00:17:30.140 --> 00:17:31.960 on that are really telling about how he sees 00:17:31.960 --> 00:17:33.960 acting, and maybe himself. He found it intimidating. 00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:37.900 Completely. He basically said, there was no acting 00:17:37.900 --> 00:17:40.099 involved on my part. The man has presence. You 00:17:40.099 --> 00:17:43.980 can't act presence. He was in awe of De Niro's 00:17:43.980 --> 00:17:46.559 natural gravitas. So what does that tell us? 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:48.740 Well, it suggests a difference in approach, maybe. 00:17:49.109 --> 00:17:51.490 De Niro have that legendary star power, that 00:17:51.490 --> 00:17:54.509 inherent De Niro -ness. Murphy seems to see his 00:17:54.509 --> 00:17:56.650 own strength, not in projecting silly and Murphy 00:17:56.650 --> 00:17:59.329 -ness, but in disappearing, in transforming into 00:17:59.329 --> 00:18:01.490 the character. Working with De Niro probably 00:18:01.490 --> 00:18:04.329 just reinforced his own path, prioritized the 00:18:04.329 --> 00:18:07.089 internal work, the chameleon act, over relying 00:18:07.089 --> 00:18:09.230 on just being present. Which leads us perfectly 00:18:09.230 --> 00:18:11.450 into the role that probably made him a global 00:18:11.450 --> 00:18:14.630 household name more than any other, Thomas Shelby. 00:18:14.849 --> 00:18:17.890 Thomas Shelby, yeah. Peaky Blinders, starting 00:18:17.890 --> 00:18:21.099 in 2013. Just iconic. And the story behind him 00:18:21.099 --> 00:18:23.119 getting that role is fantastic, too. It wasn't 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:26.240 a given, was it? No, not at all. The show's creator, 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:29.220 Stephen Knight, apparently had Jason Statham 00:18:29.220 --> 00:18:32.400 in mind first. You know, thinking about the physicality, 00:18:32.420 --> 00:18:35.180 the obvious toughness needed for a Birmingham 00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:37.880 gang leader. Statham has that in spades. But 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:41.940 Murphy wanted it. He did. And he got it by basically 00:18:41.940 --> 00:18:44.930 reminding Knight what acting is all about. He 00:18:44.930 --> 00:18:47.490 sent that now legendary text message tonight. 00:18:47.750 --> 00:18:51.150 Remember, I'm an actor. Boom. That's it. It's 00:18:51.150 --> 00:18:53.589 like his whole career philosophy distilled into 00:18:53.589 --> 00:18:56.490 four words. Don't look at my physique. Look at 00:18:56.490 --> 00:18:58.549 my ability to become the person you need. And 00:18:58.549 --> 00:19:01.529 become him he did. He described Shelby as so 00:19:01.529 --> 00:19:03.890 rich and complex, layered and contradictory. 00:19:04.309 --> 00:19:07.380 What did it take to embody him? A lot. There 00:19:07.380 --> 00:19:09.700 was the voice, nailing that specific Birmingham 00:19:09.700 --> 00:19:12.599 accent. There was the haircut, obviously. But 00:19:12.599 --> 00:19:15.000 also a significant physical transformation. Right, 00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:16.960 because Murphy had been a vegetarian for a long 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:19.859 time before that. Yeah, for about 15 years. He 00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:22.079 had initially stopped eating meat, partly over 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:24.559 concerns about mad cow disease, but also generally 00:19:24.559 --> 00:19:26.880 about agribusiness practices. It was a long -held 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:28.960 principle. But he started eating meat again for 00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:32.460 Tommy Shelby. He did. Specifically to bulk up. 00:19:32.829 --> 00:19:35.789 to gain muscle mass, and achieve that more imposing 00:19:35.789 --> 00:19:38.869 physical presence the role required. He needed 00:19:38.869 --> 00:19:41.190 to look like someone who could genuinely lead 00:19:41.190 --> 00:19:44.349 a feared street gang. That's incredible dedication, 00:19:44.730 --> 00:19:48.089 changing a core personal habit purely for a character. 00:19:48.269 --> 00:19:50.670 Did he stick with it after the show? No, apparently 00:19:50.670 --> 00:19:53.529 not. The sources confirm he went back to being 00:19:53.529 --> 00:19:56.009 vegetarian once Peaky Blinders finished filming 00:19:56.009 --> 00:19:59.069 in 2022. So the meat -eating was purely part 00:19:59.069 --> 00:20:01.410 of the Shelby transformation toolkit. Amazing 00:20:01.410 --> 00:20:03.980 commitment. And the show itself obviously became 00:20:03.980 --> 00:20:07.460 this massive cultural phenomenon, ran until 2022, 00:20:07.740 --> 00:20:10.220 really cemented his status worldwide. Absolutely. 00:20:10.460 --> 00:20:12.960 But even while being the face of this huge show, 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:15.259 he was still exploring other creative outlets. 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:17.539 He didn't just sit back. Like directing. Yeah. 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:19.960 In 2013, he actually directed a music video for 00:20:19.960 --> 00:20:21.980 a band called Money for their single Hold Me 00:20:21.980 --> 00:20:24.099 Forever. Shows the music interest never really 00:20:24.099 --> 00:20:25.940 went away completely. And he hosts a radio show, 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:28.920 too. He does. Since 2020, he's had this show 00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:32.299 on BBC Radio 6 Music called Cillian Murphy's 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:34.339 Limited Edition. It's a limited series where 00:20:34.339 --> 00:20:36.519 he basically just plays music from his own collection, 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:38.519 talks about it, sometimes answers listener questions. 00:20:38.859 --> 00:20:41.500 It's a very controlled way for him to share a 00:20:41.500 --> 00:20:43.960 bit of his personality on his own terms, focusing 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:47.380 on something he loves. So managing to stay busy, 00:20:47.519 --> 00:20:51.119 stay creative, stay relatively private, even 00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:53.279 while playing one of the most recognizable TV 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:55.579 characters of the decade. And we know the Shelby 00:20:55.579 --> 00:20:58.240 story isn't totally over yet, right? Nope. He's 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:00.220 set to recrise the role in the upcoming Peaky 00:21:00.220 --> 00:21:02.779 Blinders movie sequel, which is apparently titled 00:21:02.779 --> 00:21:05.299 The Immortal Man. So Tommy will write again. 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:08.279 So all this incredible work. The stage, the indie 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:11.019 films, the transformations, the iconic TV role 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:14.619 it all leads, really, to 2023. And Oppenheimer, 00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:16.900 the absolute peak, you could argue. It really 00:21:16.900 --> 00:21:18.819 felt like everything aligning, didn't it? His 00:21:18.819 --> 00:21:20.839 sixth film with Christopher Nolan, after nearly 00:21:20.839 --> 00:21:23.319 two decades of collaboration. But this time, 00:21:23.359 --> 00:21:25.779 finally, the lead role, the central performance. 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:28.619 And Nolan clearly had an immense faith in him 00:21:28.619 --> 00:21:30.799 to carry it. He called him the film's pulsing 00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:33.420 nucleus. And Murphy just delivered with that 00:21:33.420 --> 00:21:36.450 typical intensity and dedication. The preparation 00:21:36.450 --> 00:21:39.150 was immense. We heard about the significant weight 00:21:39.150 --> 00:21:42.230 loss really aiming for Oppenheimer's documented 00:21:42.230 --> 00:21:44.589 near -emaciated appearance during that period. 00:21:44.730 --> 00:21:47.369 And the research, too. He really dove into understanding 00:21:47.369 --> 00:21:50.369 the man. And apparently took some visual cues 00:21:50.369 --> 00:21:53.380 from... David Bowie. Yeah. Isn't that a great 00:21:53.380 --> 00:21:56.200 detail? Yeah. Using Bowie's look from the 1970s 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:59.579 as inspiration for Oppenheimer's kind of ethereal, 00:21:59.779 --> 00:22:02.579 super intelligent, almost otherworldly presence. 00:22:02.779 --> 00:22:05.099 A really interesting creative choice. And the 00:22:05.099 --> 00:22:07.539 result? Well, historic. The film made almost 00:22:07.539 --> 00:22:10.099 a billion dollars worldwide, and his performance 00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:12.500 led to that clean sweep of the major awards. 00:22:12.660 --> 00:22:16.500 Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, SAG Award. Just undeniable. 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:19.440 He went from respected character actor to a bona 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:21.940 fide, world -beating leading man. But here's 00:22:21.940 --> 00:22:23.579 where it gets really interesting and where you 00:22:23.579 --> 00:22:25.880 see that core philosophy kick in again. What 00:22:25.880 --> 00:22:28.059 does he do immediately after reaching the absolute 00:22:28.059 --> 00:22:30.900 summit of acting recognition? He focuses on control, 00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:34.779 on production. Exactly. February 2024, he launches 00:22:34.779 --> 00:22:36.660 his own independent production company, Big Things 00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:38.900 Films, with his producing partner, Alan Maloney. 00:22:39.210 --> 00:22:41.230 It's like the echo of that 19 -year -old turning 00:22:41.230 --> 00:22:43.230 down their record deal, isn't it? It's always 00:22:43.230 --> 00:22:45.990 about controlling the work, the output. Precisely. 00:22:46.349 --> 00:22:48.609 He's achieved the highest level of success as 00:22:48.609 --> 00:22:51.789 an actor, so the next logical step for him isn't 00:22:51.789 --> 00:22:54.490 just more acting, it's gaining control over the 00:22:54.490 --> 00:22:57.710 entire process, from developing the script to 00:22:57.710 --> 00:23:00.450 starring in it. It's about longevity and autonomy, 00:23:00.690 --> 00:23:04.210 not just basking in the Oscar glow. And the company's 00:23:04.210 --> 00:23:06.970 already active. Oh yeah. They produce small things 00:23:06.970 --> 00:23:10.180 like these, which he also starred in. That film 00:23:10.180 --> 00:23:12.480 opened the Berlin Film Festival earlier this 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:15.400 year. It's a smaller -scale, historical Irish 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:17.960 drama, exactly the kind of meaningful project 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:20.200 you'd expect in The Champion. And there's another 00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:22.480 drama called Slave in the Works, too. But maybe 00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:24.940 the most telling move, in terms of taking control 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:26.940 of his own narrative, is returning to 28 Days 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:29.700 Later. Right. He's not just starring in the sequels 00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:32.940 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple. 00:23:33.180 --> 00:23:35.869 He's also an executive producer on them. so he's 00:23:35.869 --> 00:23:38.170 using his current star power his oppenheimer 00:23:38.170 --> 00:23:40.930 clout to go back and have a real stake in the 00:23:40.930 --> 00:23:42.789 franchise that first gave him that big international 00:23:42.789 --> 00:23:46.150 break over 20 years ago it perfectly encapsulates 00:23:46.150 --> 00:23:48.750 his journey doesn't it the transformations lead 00:23:48.750 --> 00:23:52.509 to success and that success is immediately reinvested 00:23:52.509 --> 00:23:54.869 into gaining more creative power and independence 00:23:54.869 --> 00:23:58.680 it's a very smart very consistent approach. Which 00:23:58.680 --> 00:24:01.079 brings us back full circle to that central paradox. 00:24:01.440 --> 00:24:04.559 This immense artistic achievement on one hand 00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:08.220 and this incredibly private, guarded public persona 00:24:08.220 --> 00:24:11.519 on the other. Even now, as an Oscar winner, he 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:13.759 seems allergic to the whole celebrity circus. 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:16.539 Completely. He openly talks about finding red 00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:18.599 carpets and that whole side of things a challenge. 00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:21.660 He's basically engineered his life to be uninteresting 00:24:21.660 --> 00:24:24.220 to tabloids. What was that quote? Something about 00:24:24.220 --> 00:24:26.519 not creating controversy. Yeah, he put it very 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:28.960 bluntly. I haven't created any controversy. I 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:30.940 don't sleep around. I don't go and fall down 00:24:30.940 --> 00:24:33.160 drunk. Essentially saying, there's nothing for 00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:35.660 you gossip writers here. Move along. By being 00:24:35.660 --> 00:24:38.640 deliberately low -key in his personal life, he 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:40.960 starves the beast. And it's not a recent thing 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:43.599 either. He avoided the limelight for years. Didn't 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:46.440 he wait ages to even go on a TV talk show? Yeah, 00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:48.960 the sources say his first TV talk show appearance 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:52.019 wasn't until 2010 on Ireland's Late Late Show. 00:24:52.329 --> 00:24:55.029 That's seven years after, 28 days later made 00:24:55.029 --> 00:24:57.690 him internationally known, and five years after 00:24:57.690 --> 00:25:00.470 he was Scarecrow in Batman Begins. That's commitment 00:25:00.470 --> 00:25:03.190 to privacy. And he seems genuinely detached from 00:25:03.190 --> 00:25:05.589 the whole internet culture, too. The meme thing. 00:25:05.890 --> 00:25:09.130 Ah. The disappointed Cillian Murphy meme, which 00:25:09.130 --> 00:25:10.829 came about just because he often looks quite 00:25:10.829 --> 00:25:13.170 serious or thoughtful in interviews. And when 00:25:13.170 --> 00:25:16.150 someone finally asked him about it in 2017, his 00:25:16.150 --> 00:25:18.250 response was apparently, what's a meme? Just 00:25:18.250 --> 00:25:21.230 completely, genuinely unaware that he was a viral 00:25:21.230 --> 00:25:23.210 Internet thing. That's almost performance art 00:25:23.210 --> 00:25:25.349 in itself. To reach that level of fame while 00:25:25.349 --> 00:25:27.789 being that disconnected. It really is. And yet, 00:25:27.869 --> 00:25:30.650 despite or maybe because of this reserved intensity, 00:25:31.029 --> 00:25:33.809 he's still seen as this major style figure. He 00:25:33.809 --> 00:25:36.049 was named one of GQ's best -dressed men. And 00:25:36.049 --> 00:25:38.750 just this year, 2024, announced as the face of 00:25:38.750 --> 00:25:41.789 Versace, go figure, an unconventional sex symbol. 00:25:42.119 --> 00:25:44.380 So he maintains this status, but very much on 00:25:44.380 --> 00:25:46.619 his own terms. And outside of film, his public 00:25:46.619 --> 00:25:48.680 activities seem quite focused, too, like his 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:50.980 activism. Yeah, it's not scattered. He was involved 00:25:50.980 --> 00:25:53.839 in Rock the Vote in Ireland back in 2007. He 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:55.940 does ongoing work advocating for the homeless 00:25:55.940 --> 00:25:58.359 with Focus Ireland. He's been a patron for a 00:25:58.359 --> 00:26:00.799 UNESCO research center focused on children and 00:26:00.799 --> 00:26:03.299 families since 2011. And he took a pretty strong 00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:05.500 public stance on the abortion referendum in Ireland 00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:09.660 in 2018. He did. He actively supported the campaign 00:26:09.660 --> 00:26:12.119 to repeal the Eighth Amendment, even specifically 00:26:12.119 --> 00:26:15.599 appealed to men to vote yes. So when it's an 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:17.839 issue he feels strongly about, he is willing 00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:20.589 to use his platform. breaking that usual silence. 00:26:20.809 --> 00:26:23.009 And personally, he seems to have maintained that 00:26:23.009 --> 00:26:26.069 stability too, married since 2004. Yeah, to Yvonne 00:26:26.069 --> 00:26:28.710 McGinnis. They actually met way back in 1996 00:26:28.710 --> 00:26:31.190 at one of his band's gigs. They lived in London 00:26:31.190 --> 00:26:33.509 for about 14 years, but then moved back to Dublin 00:26:33.509 --> 00:26:37.089 in 2015, raising their two sons there, presumably 00:26:37.089 --> 00:26:39.690 a bit further away from the intense media glare 00:26:39.690 --> 00:26:42.430 you'd get in London or LA. Okay, so if we step 00:26:42.430 --> 00:26:44.900 back and look at the whole arc. From that corked 00:26:44.900 --> 00:26:47.099 teenager trying to keep control of his song rights, 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:49.359 through all the demanding stage work, the film 00:26:49.359 --> 00:26:52.099 transformations, the iconic roles, right up to 00:26:52.099 --> 00:26:54.779 the absolute peak with Oppenheimer, it's quite 00:26:54.779 --> 00:26:57.220 a ride. It's an incredible narrative of range, 00:26:57.420 --> 00:27:00.559 isn't it? The subtlety on stage, the raw emotion 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:03.000 in the wind that shakes the barley, the physical 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:05.440 transformation for Tawny Shelby, the intellectual 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:07.700 depth of Oppenheimer. And it feels like that 00:27:07.700 --> 00:27:10.630 Oscar wasn't just for one role. but recognition 00:27:10.630 --> 00:27:13.369 for decades of that consistent, challenging, 00:27:13.490 --> 00:27:16.349 transformative work, always choosing the interesting 00:27:16.349 --> 00:27:18.509 path, the artistic challenge, whether it was 00:27:18.509 --> 00:27:21.890 playing Kit and Brayden or Jim the Survivor or 00:27:21.890 --> 00:27:24.849 Scarecrow over just chasing fame or easy roles. 00:27:25.089 --> 00:27:27.470 Definitely. And for you, the listener, I think 00:27:27.470 --> 00:27:29.289 the big takeaway from all this source material 00:27:29.289 --> 00:27:32.470 is pretty powerful. It shows that maybe the most 00:27:32.470 --> 00:27:35.369 impactful, long -lasting careers aren't built 00:27:35.369 --> 00:27:37.970 on chasing the spotlight. They're built on integrity, 00:27:38.190 --> 00:27:41.349 on curiosity, and on fiercely protecting your 00:27:41.349 --> 00:27:43.630 creative autonomy, your ability to choose the 00:27:43.630 --> 00:27:46.009 work that matters to you. Murphy's living proof 00:27:46.009 --> 00:27:48.309 you can reach the very top while staying fundamentally 00:27:48.309 --> 00:27:50.710 detached from the celebrity machine. Absolutely. 00:27:50.910 --> 00:27:52.690 So let's leave you with a final thought to chew 00:27:52.690 --> 00:27:54.809 on based on everything we've discussed. Okay. 00:27:55.329 --> 00:27:58.190 Consider this. Cillian Murphy reaches the absolute 00:27:58.190 --> 00:28:02.029 pinnacle. He wins the Best Actor Oscar for embodying 00:28:02.029 --> 00:28:04.450 J. Robert Oppenheimer, arguably one of the most 00:28:04.450 --> 00:28:07.170 complex leading roles imaginable. What does he 00:28:07.170 --> 00:28:09.390 do next? He pivots immediately to producing. 00:28:09.490 --> 00:28:12.470 He stars in smaller, independent historical dramas 00:28:12.470 --> 00:28:14.789 like Small Things Like These. And he decides 00:28:14.789 --> 00:28:17.569 to return as a producer and star to the sci -fi 00:28:17.569 --> 00:28:20.029 horror franchise that launched him 20 years ago, 00:28:20.190 --> 00:28:22.630 28 days later. So the question is, what does 00:28:22.630 --> 00:28:25.109 that trajectory tell us? Does it suggest that 00:28:25.109 --> 00:28:27.109 for an artist like Murphy, the real deep dive 00:28:27.109 --> 00:28:30.269 isn't just about mastering one huge role, however 00:28:30.269 --> 00:28:32.859 significant? Is it maybe more about... Constantly 00:28:32.859 --> 00:28:34.839 seeking new challenges, new forms of creative 00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:37.779 control, new ways to discover things long after 00:28:37.779 --> 00:28:39.940 the awards are on the shelf. Something for you 00:28:39.940 --> 00:28:41.619 to think about until our next deep dive.