In the past few years, people have started to be more and more interested in the movie industry. Seeing independent movies and embracing the culture of cinema, things that used to have a certain elitism associated with them, are now more casual interests. And in the context of this year’s movie awards, one name has reigned over all the others: Cillian Murphy.
The lead actor of “Oppenheimer” has been awarded an Oscar for his performance. This marks his first nomination and first win for the Academy Awards. But this is not the first award he received for the role of Oppenheimer. The movie won many titles overall, and Cillian definitely received the recognition he deserved for his stunning performance. But Oppenheimer is not his first big appearance, so let’s take a look at his career through the years.
Irish theatre
Before starring in movies and TV shows, Cillian began his career as a theater actor in Ireland. It was due to a show in Dublin that he was discovered and cast for his first movie role. His career start in Ireland has not been forgotten, as he is always happy to talk about his country. The actor brings up his homeland in pretty much every interview and speech, always showing his Irish pride.
Some of his roles have also been tied to his roots. If we take a look at the fashion in Peaky Blinders we will see the famous Irish cap, which Cillian turned into a global trend. Another Irish production starring Cillian, a lesser known one, is the movie “The wind that shakes the Barley”.
28 days later
The first movie Cillian Murphy starred in was “28 days later”, a horror movie directed by Danny Boyle. Cillian’s figure and his style of acting inspired some scenes in the movie that were adapted especially for him, as stated by the director. This first television performance has gained him recognition all over the UK and America, so the movie soon became his breakthrough in worldwide cinematography.
Dunkirk
Before working for Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy has worked with the director Christopher Nolan before, for the movie Dunkirk. The 2017 critically acclaimed war drama has shown us a different Cillian Murphy, one that doesn’t take the lead role. In Dunkirk, he is part of an impressive cast that includes Harry Styles, his debut in acting, and big names like Tom Hardy. On top of that, the movie has little to no dialogue, all the emotion being transmitted through pure acting and expression. This movie marked the start of the Nolan-Murphy collaboration which brought us to Oppenheimer. It also broke box office records for World War II movies, brought Nolan a first Oscar nomination as best director and won some Academy Awards, before Oppenheimer reigned over.
