Cillian Murphy “still can’t believe” he won an Oscar.
The 48-year-old actor won a string of accolades for his work on ‘Oppenheimer’, including the coveted Best Actor Academy Award and though he hasn’t noticed any major impact on his career as a result, he’s happy his increased profile will make it easier for the smaller films he is passionate about to get made.
Asked if things have sunk in yet, he recently told Britain’s HELLO! Magazine: “No, not at all. It’s an honour, of course, but it’s not something I’ve thought about a lot since it happened.
“I went straight back to work afterwards, so I’ve been busy.
“It still feels weird. I look at it and still can’t believe it.
“Has it changed anything? I’m not sure – but if it helps get more films like [‘Small Things Like These’] made, I’m happy it happened.”
Despite the huge difference in scale between ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Small Things Like These’ – in which he plays devoted father Bill Furlong – Cillian insisted it isn’t something he thinks about when taking a job.
He said: “It doesn’t really make any difference to me.
“The scale of a project is not something I pay much attention to when I’m taking something on, even when we’re filming.
“If the story and the character interest me, I want to do it, regardless of the scale and the budget.
“’Small Things Like These’ first came to me in lockdown, well before ‘Oppenheimer’.
“But this film might not have happened had it not been for ‘Oppenheimer’, because it was showing the script to Matt Damon that got the ball rolling for him and Ben Affleck to produce it.”
Meanwhile, Cillian will reprise his ‘Peaky Blinders’ role of Tommy Shelby in an upcoming spin-off movie and he’s “excited” for fans to see it.
He said: “I’m excited about it. It’s a great script and we have an amazing cast and director.
“It’s going to be familiar to anyone who loves the show but it’s also different – in a good way.”
