The most grounded superstar in showbiz
Tipped to win the best actor Oscar, Cillian Murphy tells Desert Island Discs he only tolerates red carpets thanks to his family
CILLIAN Murphy has revealed his wife and two sons have been ‘crucial’ to helping him overcome redcarpet jitters and to stay grounded throughout his glittering career.
The Oscar favourite admitted he has never been totally comfortable with the glitzy side of the job and has been known to take his family along to red-carpet appearances.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, which airs this morning, the Oppenheimer star said he’s ‘struggled with it [the red carpet] in the past’ and said it is still ‘not something I’m totally at ease with’.
He said: ‘You have to choose to enjoy it and I think you can do that in your brain. Just make that alteration and it’s easier then.’
The Corkman took his wife of 28 years, Yvonne McGuinness, and their 16-year-old son Aran – who has just been cast alongside Wednesday star Jenna Ortega in Taika Waititi’s new film – to the Golden Globes last month. Murphy was named Best Actor for his portrayal of J Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s biopic of the physicist.
Their older son Malachy, who is now 18, had to stay at home to sit exams.
‘I’ve had my wife and kids with me and that’s been lovely,’ Murphy said of his public outings. ‘You’d be an idiot not to enjoy it. Go with it, that’s my attitude.’
The usually limelight-shunning actor said his family have helped him to keep his feet on the ground across his slow but steady upward career trajectory.
‘It’s been crucial, honestly,’ he told presenter Lauren Laverne.
‘I don’t think I could have done any of the things that we’ve talked about without having them. I’ve been with my wife for 28 years now. It’s been the most important thing for me, having those kids and raising them.’
The 47-year-old then described the ‘ancillary aspect of being an actor’ as ‘quite challenging’.
‘The kind of “noise” stuff. To have a really secure, solid base is important... You have to have that safe place. I certainly do. It’s just like an island of comfort and ease.’
The acclaimed actor also revealed he would be willing to reprise his compelling role as enigmatic gangland boss Tommy Shelby in a film version of Peaky Blinders. Murphy said though he was ‘relieved’ when the hit drama ended in 2022, he’s now ‘totally’ on board with the idea of a film. He said he was confident that the programme’s showrunner, Steven Knight, had more stories to tell about the Shelby clan and their criminal associates. ‘I have always said that if there is more to tell and if Steve Knight delivers the script that I know he can, as he is such a phenomenal writer, I’ll be there. I mean if we want to watch 50-year-old Tommy Shelby, let’s do it.’
The series, which launched in 2013, attracted huge audiences around the world, while Peaky Blinders’ success meant that many Hollywood stars including Tom Hardy, Adrien Brody and Anya Taylor-Joy agreed to appear.
Murphy’s remarks will be seized upon by fans as the clearest indication yet that a movie version is imminent.
Although a continuation of the Shelbys’ story has been mooted many times before, there were fears that Murphy – tipped to become the first Irish-born person to win an Oscar for a leading role – might have moved on.
But speculation about a possible film went into overdrive last week when Murphy and Knight were spotted drinking in a pub.
Murphy said it had been right to bring the curtain down on the hit BBC show in 2022 because the cast needed a ‘break from each other’.
He said: ‘To be totally honest with you it was a little bit of a relief at that point. I was ready to take a little break. I felt like we’d done such excellent work and I really loved the ambiguity of the ending. It was a good time to have a little respite from it. I think we all needed a break from each other.’
Murphy also paid tribute to his co-star, Helen McCrory, who played formidable matriarch Aunt Polly until her death from cancer in 2021.
‘A lot of the time we were shooting in fields or some bog somewhere. Helen was always funny and brightened up every set. I loved her and still really miss her.’
‘I couldn’t have done all of this without them’
Murphy, who has starred in blockbusters including Inception, the Dark Knight trilogy and Dunkirk, admitted he still found the process of filmmaking nerve-wracking.
He said: ‘Not [so much] on stage, but I get nervous doing films. The distinction being I think that when you do a play you retain control insofar as if it’s a terrible night and you’re off, you know that tomorrow you can fix it and be better. Whereas if you commit something to celluloid it’s there forever.’
After several stage roles, the idea of performing in front of a huge film crew was ‘very, very intimidating when I was a younger actor... I think I’ve made my peace with it now but it was a lot to take on.’
Murphy chose a guitar as his luxury item on Desert Island Discs and spoke of his original dream to be a musician – his band were even offered a record deal.
‘My parents just refused to allow it to happen, and they were right. I wouldn’t allow my kid to sign his soul away to a corporation.’
But in that month – July 1996 – ‘things clarified for me’. He met his wife and got offered a part in Enda Walsh’s play Disco Pigs, later to become his first film role.
‘I thought “Okay, this other avenue is opening up.” You just go with what’s happening, so I went down this new path.’
‘I wouldn’t allow my kid to sign his soul away’