Cillian Murphy at the Oscar Wilde Awards in Santa Monica, California, on March 7, 2024.Photo:Charlie Steffans/INSTARimages
Charlie Steffans/INSTARimages
ForCillian Murphy, the upcomingOscars 2024will be a time to simply enjoy the moment.
The 47-year-old actor is up for Best Actor at the ceremony for his starring role as the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer, inChristopher Nolan’s 2023 blockbuster biopicOppenheimer.
Speaking with reporters at Thursday’sOscar Wilde Awardsin Santa Monica, California, Murphy said of Sunday’s Academy Awards, “I just want to go in and have a good time this weekend.”
He also admitted he hasn’t “really thought of” the fact that a victory would make him the first Irish man to win an Oscar — or where he’d keep the trophy, should he win.
“I haven’t thought about that,” Murphy said.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Cillian Murphy at the Oscar Wilde Awards on March 7, 2024.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
Murphy is considered a frontrunner for the Best Actor trophy following similar wins earlier this year at theGolden Globe Awards,SAG AwardsandBAFTA Awards.
But the veteran Irish actor — who is also known for his movie roles in28 Days Later(2002),Red Eye(2005),Sunshine(2007) and several Nolan-directed films, as well as a lead role on the television seriesPeaky Blinders— has remained humble, more complimentary to his colleagues than himself.
Aside from giving credit to Nolan, 53, and hisOppenheimercrew and castmates, Murphy told PEOPLE at the Oscar Wilde Awards on Thursday that one of the most “surreal” parts ofthe current awards seasonhas just been “being in the room with all these amazing filmmakers — people that you’ve watched as a kid.”
Asked what the last few months of the awards circuit have felt like for him personally, the actor said it has “been amazing” and “a whirlwind.”
Cillian Murphy gives an acceptance speech at the SAG Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 24, 2024.Netflix
Netflix
“I keep saying it’s just very flattering, and we just feel full of gratitude. Well, I certainly do,” Murphy told PEOPLE.
A first-time Oscar nominee, Murphy isfacing off in the Best Actor categorythis Sunday alongside fellow nomineesBradley Cooper(Maestro),Colman Domingo(Rustin),Paul Giamatti(The Holdovers) andJeffrey Wright(American Fiction).
source: people.com
