Cillian Murphy Drops The Bomb With Tremendous Oscars Win
Image: Elena Ternovaja
A hearty congratulations, or comhghairdeachas, to Irish actor Cillian Murphy for winning the Best Actor award at this year’s Oscars.
Cillian won the illustrious award for his portrayal of nuclear physicist and father of the atomic bomb J. Robert Oppenheimer in the biopic ‘Oppenheimer’, directed by Christopher Nolan.
Cillian faced fierce competition from his fellow nominees in the category, which also included Bradley Cooper for ‘Maestro’, Colmin Domingo for ‘Rustin’, Paul Giamatti for ‘The Holdovers’ and Jeffrey Wright for ‘American Fiction’.
‘Oppenheimer’ also stars Robert Downey Jr as Lewis Strauss, a representative of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, alongside an ensemble cast featuring Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh.
The film is based on the 2005 biography ‘American Prometheus’ by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherman, and depicts the life and times of Oppenheimer, from his early years as a post-doctoral student to his pivotal involvement in the Manhattan Project and development of the atomic bomb.
It gives audiences a piercing insight into the psyche of one of the 20th century’s most revered scientific minds as well as the inner struggle he endured in the wake of the destruction and death his work caused. While it may have ended a war, it also kicked off the nuclear arms race and laid the groundwork for the Cold War that followed.
The first cast member to sign on to the project following its announcement in 2021, Cillian is no stranger to dark and dramatic roles. As bicycle courier Jim he escaped hordes of ravenous zombies in ‘28 Days Later’; as Dr Jonathan Crane aka Scarecrow he provided a worthy adversary to The Dark Knight in ‘Batman Begins’ (also by Christoper Nolan); and, as Thomas Shelby he ruled the streets of post-WWI Birmingham in ‘Peaky Blinders’.
With a highly coveted Oscar in his grasp, questions now turn to what Cillian will do next. According to industry reports, Cillian will both star in and produce coming Netflix production ‘Steve’.
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