There are some people who are destined to be actors but not celebrities. A few examples include Robert Pattinson, who notoriously messes with people because he’s bored, and maybe sometimes Hugh Grant, who doesn’t feel the need to do any sort of successful promo anymore. And there are people like Cillian Murphy, who has appeared in several of the biggest movies over the last decade, but doesn’t seem to ever appear in public, which begs the question: what’s his deal?
As it turns out, Murphy is just like the rest of us: he doesn’t leave his house nor does he want people talking to him. That’s not abnormal, though it’s a little hard when he carefully chooses buzzy roles, like Shivering Soldier #1 in Dunkirk.
Murphy was recently asked by Rolling Stone UK how he feels about being in the spotlight, to which he implied that he has opted out of that life. “I don’t really partake. I don’t go out. I’m just at home mostly, or with my friends, unless I have a film to promote,” he explained. This must be why he only appeared out of thin air every few years like a little Irish cicada. “I don’t like being photographed by people. I find that offensive,” he added.
Not only does he keep it lowkey, but he also has problems with fan interactions and feels that people find him “underwhelming” compared to his Peaky Blinders character. “I think it’s the Tommy Shelby thing. People expect this mysterious, swaggering… it’s just a character. I do feel people are a little bit underwhelmed. That’s fine, it means I’m doing my job,” he admitted.
It’s true that being employed as an actor doesn’t mean that you should always be open and available to people, as evident by the massive amount of attention Pedro Pascal has been getting. But this is what Murphy finds frustrating. He added, “It can ruin experiences, because it fetishises everything: You can be walking down the street and someone takes a picture…but that’s part and parcel of it.”
Next time you see Cillian on the street, consider not doing or saying anything but just admiring him from afar. Or try to get Christoper Nolan’s attention instead, since they are always paling around together in the most depressing way possible.
