The Films That Made Cillian Murphy Ask: “Can I Ever Be As Compelling?”

There’s little doubt that Cillian Murphy has earned his place among the greatest actors of his generation. With an Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for his haunting portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer — the man behind the nuclear bomb — and a BAFTA for his iconic turn as crime boss Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders, the Irish actor has proven time and again that he’s a master of his craft. Yet despite the accolades, Murphy remains strikingly humble about his success.

In a recent interview with Deadline for their video series Miramax Presents The Film That Lit My Fuse, the 49-year-old Cork native spoke candidly about the films that made him want to be a better actor — and the ones that keep him inspired to this day. Part of his humility, Murphy confessed, comes from the fact that acting wasn’t his first dream. Before stepping onto a film set, he wanted to be a musician — a career that didn’t pan out. “I’ve always felt like a bit of an interloper,” he admitted.

But when it comes to cinema, there are certain movies that remind him exactly why he fell in love with storytelling on screen — and that continue to challenge him to rise to new heights.

One such film is The Butcher Boy, the 1997 adaptation of Patrick McCabe’s darkly comic novel about a troubled Irish boy. Murphy remembers sitting in the cinema, completely captivated. So much so that when the credits rolled, he walked straight out, bought another ticket, and sat down to watch it all over again.

Another film that left an indelible mark is Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love (2002), starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman — one of Murphy’s favourite screen actors. “That really made me sit up and think, ‘I wonder, can I ever be as compelling or as interesting or as unique or as different as that film is?’” Murphy said.

Unlike Sandler’s usual comedic fare, Punch-Drunk Love is a strange, tender, and offbeat love story about a lonely man’s chaotic path to romance. For Murphy, its unique tone and humanity have made it a touchstone he returns to often. “It’s a movie just about humans, about human behaviour. It’s this beautiful love story, and it has this very unusual, unique tone and atmosphere to it,” he explained. “Great movies reveal more each time you watch them. The best ones do.”

Murphy’s list of formative films doesn’t end there. Like many kids of his generation, Star Wars was an early obsession. “I am that age, that generation,” he said. “I remember being completely transfixed by everything, having all the figurines and spaceships.”

But perhaps more surprising is his fondness for Scarecrow, the 1973 road movie starring Gene Hackman and Al Pacino as drifters trying to make a fresh start. He first rented it for Halloween, misled by a video store clerk who said it was terrifying. Instead, it left a lasting impression. “I didn’t really have the vocabulary for it then, but now I might be able to articulate it; I think it was the naturalism, it was the humanity of it,” he said. It’s a film he still recommends to actor and director friends who haven’t seen it.

In a way, these titles form Murphy’s own cinematic Mount Rushmore: Harrison Ford’s Han Solo, Gene Hackman, Al Pacino, and, yes, Adam Sandler. They’re reminders not just of the power of cinema, but of the bar Murphy sets for himself every time he steps in front of the camera: “Can I ever be as compelling?”

If his recent performances are anything to go by, the answer is a resounding yes.

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