Cillian Murphy’s singularity, to me as a fan who has been so drawn to him since my secondary years, lies in his low-keyness, passion for acting, ways of being in the world and sagacity - which I think are mightiest human qualities that are quite lacking in today's world.

 

Although Cillian might be best known for his roles in Inception (2010), The Dark Knights Rises (2012) and the recent film Oppenheimer (2023), the more poignant side of him is his commitment to his Irish heritage that shapes his acting prowess and his unique personality and worldview. He devotes his lifetime to producing and contributing to the Irish theatre and film productions, representing one of the authentic voices that narrates the tales of Ireland. This includes his presence in Breakfast on Pluto (2005), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), Perrier’s Bounty (2009), The Delinquent Season (2018), Small Things like These (2024) as well as his collaborative effort in playwrights, Disco Pigs (1996), Misterman (2011), Grief is the Thing with Feathers (2017) — most of these focus on the Irish subjectivity and history such as Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War; and even the darker side that needs to be remembered and confronted, including the Magdalene laundry; and the everyday vignettes that may resemble James Joyce’s The Dubliners. You could feel his strong attachment to Ireland, yet this sense of patriotism is not shrouded by blind obedience to a government uncritically, but it is shaped by the genuine acknowledgement of the country’s flaws and failures while still believing in its founding ideals and potential for positive change. He had gone to great lengths to audition for his role as Damien O’Donovan 4 to 5 times and expressed his eagerness to be part of the film in an interview post-screening of The Wind That Shakes the Barley. From his account his unwavering statement, to promote Ireland history is reflected by his active involvement in pursuing the interests of individuals who share one’s imagined community in Ireland: 

I am excited about this film as someone who is from Ireland and am happy to be in part of a film that is about the history of my county and my country… It was pretty revelatory to me. The Civil War in Ireland isn’t a very glorious time in our history so in school, you get it taught so superficially. [The film provides an opportunity] for me to study and read in-depthly the history of Ireland…  I think every family in Cork (where Cillian was born) has their stories [that can be somehow related to the film reflecting] their struggles. 

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Cillian Murphy always stays in his character, as Judith does in Doris Lessing’s ‘Our Friend Judith’, and he is a true hunger artist (in Franz Kafka’s sense) who shows extreme dedication to excel his art form while consciously distancing himself away from being pulled into the world that increasingly venerates talentless with no intellectual and/or aesthetic sustenance and that brainlessly eulogizes the holier-than-thou attitude. His devotion to acting and his Irish heritage has never been manifested in frenzied bursts of emotions or kitschy vulgarity in wordiness. Rather it is manifested through his tranquil, steady dedication of a lifetime in theatre, literature, poetry, music, history and human love. He cares not to tell you what he does not care; but cares to show what he cares, what keeps to himself and hence putting them into action. Bragging seems meaningless to Cillian. There is a saying that fits well to describe Cillian’s hard work and focus: if you were really competent, your work would speak for itself. 

 

‘It’s easy to take the check, you know, but if you want to have any longevity, just take things that have artistic merit in them. I want to do quality. If it’s good telly, I’ll do it. If it’s good theater, I’ll do it.’ — Cillian Murphy

 

For me, this is what the kind of true wisdom should be upheld, especially in this world that is strangely wired towards polarization and irrational conflicts; overt bragginess and uppity; ingenuity and loss of respect for human’s craft.  

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