Cillian Murphy has never been one to chase the spotlight, but lately, the spotlight refuses to let him go. Fresh off his Academy Award win for OPPENHEIMER, the Irish actor is already deep into his next transformation, this time as a struggling teacher in Netflix’s reform school drama STEVE. It’s a deliberately unglamorous role, the kind Murphy gravitates toward when everyone else expects him to capitalize on his newfound Hollywood heat with something flashier, more commercial, more obvious.
Murphy’s approach to his craft has always been about stripping away rather than adding on. Even after the cultural earthquake that was OPPENHEIMER, a film that dominated conversations from red carpets to college campuses and turned a three-hour historical drama about theoretical physics into an unlikely box office juggernaut, he remains fundamentally unchanged. That Christopher Nolan collaboration, their sixth together spanning over two decades, didn’t just earn Murphy his first Oscar; it cemented a creative partnership that has become one of modern cinema’s most fascinating ongoing experiments in trust and transformation.
The director-actor relationship between Nolan and Murphy is built on something rare in an industry obsessed with brands and franchises: genuine artistic curiosity. From Murphy’s early days playing Scarecrow in BATMAN BEGINS to the haunted soldier in DUNKIRK, Nolan has consistently seen past the piercing blue eyes and sharp cheekbones to find something darker, more complex, more interesting. OPPENHEIMER was simply the fullest expression of that vision, giving Murphy the space to inhabit J. Robert Oppenheimer’s brilliance and moral anguish in ways that felt both intimate and epic.
Now, with STEVE, Murphy returns to smaller-scale storytelling, playing an educator navigating the chaos and heartbreak of a last-chance British reform school. It’s the kind of role that asks him to be human-sized again, to find drama in classrooms and corridors rather than in the fate of nations. For an actor who started his journey in Cork, Ireland, dreaming of music careers before stumbling into theater, this oscillation between the monumental and the modest feels entirely natural. Murphy has never forgotten that acting, at its core, is about connection, about finding the universal in the specific, whether you’re playing the father of the atomic bomb or a teacher trying to reach troubled kids.
The OPPENHEIMER phenomenon was something else entirely, though, a reminder that sometimes the right film arrives at exactly the right moment. It became more than a movie; it was a cultural event that sparked debates about science, morality, and responsibility, that had people reading biographies and revisiting history, that proved audiences still hunger for ambitious, intelligent cinema. Murphy rode that wave with characteristic grace, accepting his Oscar with quiet gratitude, never letting the noise distort who he is or what he values.
What makes Murphy’s recent trajectory so compelling is his refusal to be defined by any single success. The Oscar sits on a shelf somewhere, sure, but he’s already moved on, already searching for the next character who will demand something different from him. STEVE represents that search, a deliberate pivot away from prestige and toward the messy, unglamorous work of portraying ordinary lives under extraordinary pressure. It’s Murphy reminding everyone that the work matters more than the recognition, that transformation is the point, not the podium.
In an era when most actors leverage an Academy Award into franchises and paydays, Murphy is doing something quietly radical: he’s staying curious, staying hungry, staying true to the instincts that brought him from Cork music venues to Hollywood’s biggest stages. The partnership with Nolan will likely continue; their creative chemistry is too rare to abandon. But Murphy isn’t waiting around for the next prestige project to validate him. He’s already in the classroom with STEVE, already finding new ways to disappear into someone else’s skin, already proving that the best response to extraordinary success is simply to keep working, keep searching, keep becoming.
Brendan Gleeson is bringing all the feels in H IS FOR HAWK 🎬🦅
Playing the beloved father in this beautiful 2025 drama based on Helen Macdonald`s bestselling memoir, Gleeson delivers a performance that`s both tender and powerful.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Netflix`s BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER has an amazing new trailer!
Colin Farrell plays an Irish fugitive hiding in Macau`s neon underworld as "Lord Doyle," gambling desperately to outrun his past.
The film opens in theaters Oct. 15 and starts streaming Oct. 29 on Netflix.
Watch now via link in bio.
Saoirse Ronan is heading back to the `60s! 🎸
The four-time Oscar nominee is reportedly set to play Linda McCartney in Sam Mendes` wildly ambitious THE BEATLES project—four separate films, each following a different Beatle.
She`ll star opposite Paul Mescal (her FOE co-star) as Paul McCartney, with Barry Keoghan as Ringo, Joseph Quinn as George, and Harris Dickinson as John.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Cillian Murphy just confirmed THE IMMORTAL MAN drops in 2026 and Tommy Shelby is coming back with a vengeance. 🔥
Fresh off STEVE hitting Netflix, Murphy spilled the tea on The Graham Norton Show that the Peaky Blinders film has wrapped.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
Graham Norton isn`t going anywhere!
The BBC has locked in three more series of THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW - with 2.9 million viewers tuning in and clips going viral weekly, Norton continues to prove why he`s the gold standard for celebrity interviews.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Cillian Murphy isn`t chasing blockbusters—he`s back in the classroom.
The Irish actor`s latest role in Netflix`s STEVE sees him playing a struggling teacher at a last-chance reform school, proving once again that he`s more interested in transformation than validation.
Watch Cillian`s TODAY interview via link in bio.
🖤⚡️ JESSIE BUCKLEY IS COMING BACK TO LIFE! ⚡️🖤
Ireland`s Irish powerhouse transforms into a Gaga-esque flapper brought back to life as the companion of Christian Bale`s creature in Maggie Gyllenhaal`s electrifying new take on THE BRIDE!
New trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
🌟 From THE WITCHER to DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS to EVERYTHING NOW.
Dublin`s @niamhhmccormack_ has been quietly building one of the most impressive portfolios in Irish acting.
Don`t miss her in HOUSE OF GUINNESS, now streaming on @netflix.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🌊 When Oscar-nominated Stephen Rea (THE CRYING GAME, MICHAEL COLLINS, V FOR VENDETTA) lends his legendary voice to a haunting tale of shipwreck and survival, you know something magical is about to happen.
📍 @irishculturalcentre, Hammersmith
🗓️ November 8-9 ONLY
🎭 Don`t miss this exclusive London run!
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🎬 Cillian Murphy is absolutely unstoppable right now!
Three incredible performances in a row: Oscar winner OPPENHEIMER ✨ SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE 💫 and now STEVE - a powerhouse drama about a school headteacher fighting his own demons while saving troubled kids.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
THE WEIR is haunting London`s Harold Pinter Theatre until 6 Dec, and it`s pure magic. Brendan Gleeson makes his West End debut alongside an incredible cast in Conor McPherson`s modern masterpiece - with the playwright himself directing for the first time!
"It`s already a classic in the canon of world theatre," says Seán McGinley, and honestly? We believe him. Sometimes the most powerful stories happen over a pint, in the space between words, where kindness becomes community.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🏆 IRISH TALENT TAKES TORONTO!
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal just won BIG at TIFF with HAMNET - snagging the People`s Choice Award that`s basically an Oscar crystal ball ✨
More at irishfilmtv.com.
From strolling London`s Highbury Fields to stepping into Paul McCartney`s shoes 🎸✨
Paul Mescal is living proof that staying grounded while reaching for the stars isn`t just possible—it`s the secret sauce. Fresh off HAMNET and deep in rehearsals for Sam Mendes` Beatles biopics, this Irish charmer is redefining what it means to be a modern movie star.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🔥 When Margot Robbie had a "suspicion" her chemistry with Colin Farrell would work in A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY... she was absolutely right! ✨
These two icons dive into Kogonada`s A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY where strangers Sarah and David rent mysterious cars that transport them through doorways to their childhood memories. Talk about a wild ride! 🚗💫
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Paul Mescal and Josh O`Connor playing LIE vs LIE is the chaotic energy we didn`t know we needed 😂
These THE HISTORY OF SOUND co-stars swap outrageous stories, questionable audition tales, and awkward fan encounters—and honestly, we can`t tell what`s real anymore 🤷♀️
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
