Top actor Cillian Murphy finds it “excruciating” to talk about himself, and cringes at self-centred conversations.
The 38-year-old actor landed his breakthrough role in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later… and has gone on to work with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception and Christian Bale in Batman Begins
CONTINUE READING…When he isn’t in front of the camera, Cillian doesn’t let his fame go to his head and is determined to go about his everyday life like anyone else.
“Logically, the less people know about you, the more convincing you are playing someone else. It’s glaringly obvious to me,” he told The Guardian.
“I get the bus, I get the tube, I go to the shop and get the milk and do normal things. I would hate it if that became impossible. As an actor, you’re supposed to be playing real people so it seems essential to live like a normal person.
“There are still lots of people at a high level [who manage to stay grounded]. I wish it was easier for me, but it’s excruciating. Who likes talking about themselves?”
However, the handsome Irishman does think female stars have it harder and believes the pressures for them are more “upsetting and aggressive”.
Cillian has also made a name for himself in theatre and TV, fronting popular programme Peaky Blinders.
When asked whether his agents ever get frustrated by his determination to shun the spotlight, the star insists he is control of the roles he takes and makes sure they work around his family: wife Yvonne McGuinness and their two sons Malachy and Aran.
“The thing people fail to realise is that the agents work for us. The agents don’t tell us what to do. Or they don’t tell me what to do. I tell them what I’m doing,” he added.
“The only thing I’ve tried to stick to, and I’ve repeated it ad nauseum, is to follow the good writing. I don’t want to go to America and up sticks to wherever a shoot may be for 12 months. I’ve got young kids; you don’t really want to uproot the family for a year.”
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