Cillian Murphy talks Oscars, the Irish actors in LA and his son’s career: ‘He doesn’t need my advice, he’s well able’

“I haven’t really thought about it to be honest with you. I just want to go in and have a good time this weekend,” he smiles.

When asked what will happen if he wins on Sunday, he said: “I’m sure we’ll have some sort of party.”

The 47-year-old star graced the green carpet at the annual Oscar Wilde Irish film industry event in Los Angeles in the early hours of this morning, which also attracted big names such as Pierce Brosnan, James Cameron and Jane Seymour.

Dressed in a blue suit and buttoned up white shirt, Cillian charmed the media with his reserved and humbled approach, breaking out at times in his native Cork accent.

The father-of-two was accompanied on his flight to Los Angeles from Dublin by his 16-year-old son Aran, but he reveals the rest of his family look set to be in the Dolby theatre at the awards on Sunday too.

“My wife and my kids are going to be here,” he confirms, in reference to his partner Yvonne and eldest son Malachi (18).

Aran is following his father’s footsteps by taking up acting, having recently won a role in Klara And The Sun, opposite Wednesday star Jenna Ortega.

When asked if he had any advice for his son, Cillian remarks: “I’m very very proud of him, he’s a great actor, so I’m very proud of him. He doesn’t need my advice, he’s well able.”

Having already won a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Screen Actor’s Guild award for his lead role in Oppenheimer, he admits he’s looking forward to gracing the red carpet on Sunday: “I can’t wait!”

Cillian maintains he has been surprised at the reaction the movie about the ‘father of the Atomic bomb’ has got, grossing nearly one billion euro at the box office.

“We are just so flattered that it is being celebrated in this way and that so many people went to see it. It should be a good weekend,” he reflects.

“It’s amazing, we’re just really flattered and humbled. It feels wonderful. None of us expected the film would do so well. The thing that always strikes me is that when people come and say they’ve seen the film four and five and six times, that’s kind of phenomenal, young and old and boys and girls, it’s amazing. “

But while he was able to let his hair down at the party, he is still keen about his craft.

“It’s all about the work for me really, that’s always been the thing and whatever happens after that you can’t control really,” he notes.

“I mean being in a room with all these amazing film makers, people you’ve watched as a kid, that’s pretty surreal.”

Cillian Murphy touches down in LA ahead of the Oscars

He recently hung out with several Irish actors at the BAFTAs, who were nominated at those awards in London.

“It’s great to hang out with Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, and all the lads. I’ve really enjoyed it, all the lads from Poor Things as well,” he adds, namechecking the Irish film starring Emma Stone and which has 11 Oscar nominations.

Cillian, who in recent years moved from London to his new home in Monkstown, Co Dublin, confesses he can’t escape his Irishness no matter where he is in the world, including L.A.

“I can’t really escape it, that’s who I am. I have my family here, so that helps,” he points out.

He acknowledges that he was honoured to be at the Oscar Wilde party in JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot studio in Santa Monica.

“I’m just thrilled to be here. There’s a good Irish crew, so we’ll have a laugh,” he enthuses.

But he stresses there’s no rivalry between him and his fellow nominees, with Paul Giamatti from The Holdovers seen as his main competition for the Oscar.

“It’s really not competitive. It might appear that way, but it’s really not, it feels very collegiate, it feels very much like all of us in it together,” he said.

Cillian has recently spent time acting in and producing in Co Wexford in a film based on Claire Keegan’s book, Small Things Like These, which is centred on the Magdelene Laundries.

“Many many people have read that book, and Claire Keegan is such a wonderful author. I think it has some name recognition already, so hopefully people will go see it,” he said.

He seemed bemused when told a chunk of his hair from Peaky Blinders is being song on an online auction site for €7000.

“Sounds a bit expensive,” he said.

Pierce Brosnan was the recipient of an award at the bash, with Derry-born actress Roma Downey presenting him with it.

The Navan-raised star was accompanied by his wife Keely Shaye Smith, and both were thrilled to meet on the green carpet Irish American actress Molly Shannon.

Best known in the US for starring on Saturday Night Live, Molly revealed her grandfather moved to America from Ireland when he was quite young and she was raised in Ohio.

Former 007 Brosnan disclosed he was back home recently.

“I was in Ireland last year,” he told us. “I made two movies there, The Last Rifleman, a beautiful film, and Four Letters of Love.

“So, started up in the north and went down to the south. So, Keely and I are going back there next year. I’ve got employment!”.

Asked if Cillian would be a potential James Bond, he contends: “I think Cillian would be a marvellous James Bond, in His Majesty’s Secret Service.”

When we asked if she had happy memories of Ashford Castle – where the couple had their wedding reception after marrying in Ballintubber Abbey in 2001– Keely beamed: “Of course!”

Famed director James Cameron, who was at the event to present an award to Dublin visual effects specialist Richie Baneham, was besieged by autograph hunters and stopped to sign several.

The Titanic director worked with Baneham on the Avatar movies, which the Irishman won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects last year and in 2009.

“I have only been in Dublin once in my life and it was 26 years ago, I was on my honeymoon,” Cameron said, before adding with a chuckle “two marriages back, loved it though!”

Also at the bash was former Bond girl Jane Seymour, who is currently filming in Ireland series three of the TV series Harry Wild.

She will also be seen from next Friday in the Netflix movie Irish Wish, which also stars Lindsay Lohan and was filmed in Ireland too.

“I play an American in it and I’m her mother,” she said. “Lindsay Lohan plays the Editor of the book and the actual writer she is madly in love with him, but he doesn’t know.

“She’s actually written a book, he’s done nothing, he’s just sort of pretending he’s written a book and taken all the fame. She thinks he’s going to propose to her, but he doesn’t.

“I’m her mother and keep saying ‘does he know that you love him? And she says, ‘I’m sure I have given him lots of hints.”

She added that she spent most of her time talking to Lohan’s character on the phone and did not get to meet her until recently.

“But I did meet her and spent a bit of time with her in the last couple of days at the premier, she was lovely,” she said.

Joining Jane on the green carpet was her fellow Harry’s Wild co-stars Kevin Ryan and Samantha Mumba.

Dubliner Ryan lives in LA, as does Seymour in nearby Malibu.

“We have a great time out here, but in Ireland we have a very collaborative cast, we are all friends, we hang out at the weekend,” he said.

Seymour added: “It was during Covid we had this tradition of pretending we weren’t meeting at weekends. So, I called rehearsals on the roof of a building that they had rented for me and we’d all go out on the balcony and pretend we weren’t there.”