Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy Shares Story About How His Friends Reacted After He Won His Oscar, And It’s So Relatable

Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

There’s nothing like those lifelong friends and family who have seen you through everything. Everyone has at least one or two, including Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy. The ever-busy A-lister had surprise visitors show up on award day that kept him grounded in ways that only the dearest can. The ‘love’ continued after winning the Oscar (and the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and the Screen Actors Guild Award, among others) for his performance in Oppenheimer.

Murphy chatted with The Telegraph about his now-showing movie, and one of the newest releases on our 2024 movie schedule, Small Things Like These. Along with the new release, based on the Caroline Keegan book, the 48-year-old discussed his success playing the father of the atomic bomb role, his experiences brushing arm-to-arm with cinema royalty and, most importantly, how two of his oldest confidants showed up on the day of the Academy Awards. He shared that they kept him supportingly in check:

There was a lot of healthy slagging [off], too, by the way. In Ireland, slagging is one of the deepest forms of affection. On the day of the Oscars, my best friend and brother flew out as a surprise. They did an intense amount of slagging.

I don’t think there’s been a more relatable story to come out of any awards show, ever. It’s no surprise that Murphy and company are the ones who know how to keep things fun and real amid international campaigns and one of the biggest recent blockbusters, with Oppenheimer netting nearly $1 billion globally.

Oppenheimer's stellar cast and crew completely delivered, including the Inception alum. He was so enthusiastic about all things related to Christopher Nolan’s epic he dropped a different kind of bomb praising the director. After Murphy’s win, he jumped right back into work, which he admitted wasn’t sure was the best thing. He hadn’t processed the award, but knew the Peaky Blinders movie was just around the corner.

The highly-anticipated Peaky Blinders movie doesn’t have a set date, but it is in production, and it's possible it may end up on the 2025 movie schedule. 28 Years Later, which has a cult following, is slated for a 2025 release and does have Murphy return once again.

All in all, the Dunkirk alum is lucky to have some reliable and good-hearted people to lean on while navigating his career. It's also good to know that those same people are adding a lovingly healthy dose of reality in any moment they share with Cillian Murphy. It makes him all the more real and lovable.

If you’d like to watch Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, you can with a Prime subscription.

Contributing Writer