Cillian Murphy has shared his response to his first-ever Oscar nomination, which he received for his performance in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer led this year’s nominations with 13 nods, including the coveted ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’ awards. Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr have also received nods for their supporting performances, while Murphy has been nominated for ‘Best Actor’.
When the Irish actor found out about the nomination, he was drinking tea at his parents’ home in Ireland, as he recalled to Deadline. “I feel really privileged and I feel really lucky to be in a film that’s connected with people in a way that it has critically and commercially,” he began.
Murphy went on to share his disbelief at the nomination, stating, “I don’t think you would have believed it or seen it as a possibility or anything like that; I just wanted to make theatre and make good theatre, and then you do a small part in a short film and then a small part in a film — we’ve talked about this really gradual procses and I think that’s why I’m able to deal with it and able to enjoy it.”
“I’m like 48 and I’ve seen a lot and been doing it for 28 years now,” he continued, “so I think I can understand how significant it is to me and how meaningful it is to me and to other people… You know, it’s been a long time in the business. I think as a youngster, it just didn’t seem a possibility anything like this.”
Murphy has already taken home a Golden Globe for his performance, beating out the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio for Killers of the Flower Moon and Bradley Cooper for Maestro, the latter of whom is also up for the Academy Award.
Revisit Murphy’s performance in Oppenheimer below.
