Cillian Murphy was at his childhood home in Cork City when he found out he had finally gotten his first-ever Oscar nomination.
“Thankfully, I live in a time zone that I don’t have to get up at 5 am,” Murphy told Variety on Tuesday, not long after the Oscar nominations were announced.
“It was already organized for me. We’ve had a few days off and I’ve been at home, which has been very, very pleasant.
"I’m actually in my parents’ house in Cork City. I was with my parents and my wife today. So that was really nice.”
Murphy, who was in his childhood kitchen when the Oscar nominations were announced, added: “We had a cup of tea and a slice of cake. It was quite nice.
“My mom made a sponge cake. It was very tasty.”
Murphy has been nominated for an Academy Award in the 'Performance by an actor in a leading role' category for his portrayal of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in the summer blockbuster "Oppenheimer."
The film, Murphy's latest collaboration with Christopher Nolan, landed 13 Oscar nominations, more than any other movie this year.
“I feel really privileged and I feel really lucky to be in a film that’s connected with people in a way that it has critically and commercially,” Murphy told Deadline on Tuesday.
“To be in a film that people have seen three and four and five times and they come up to you and tell you that…”
Some may be surprised to hear that this is Cork native Murphy's first-ever Oscar nomination. He's been acting for close to 30 years, and has previously featured in Oscar-nominated films including "Inception" and "Dunkirk," though has never clinched an acting nomination, until now.
Murphy is among the favorites to actually win the Best Actor Oscar - predictions have it going to him or Paul Giamatti for "The Holdovers." Also nominated are Bradley Cooper for "Maestro," Colman Domingo for "Rustin," and Jeffrey Wright in "American Fiction."
When asked by Deadline on Tuesday if he ever imagined an Oscar nomination when he first began acting, Murphy reflected: “I don’t think you would have believed it or seen it as a possibility or anything like that; I just wanted to make theater and make good theater, and then you do a small part in a short film and then a small part in a film — we’ve talked about this really gradual process and I think that’s why I’m able to deal with it and able to enjoy it. I’m like 48 and I’ve seen a lot and been doing it for 28 years now, so I think I can understand how significant it is to me and how meaningful it is to me and to other people… You know, it’s been a long time in the business. I think as a youngster it just didn’t seem a possibility anything like this.”
Reflecting on the past few weeks throughout awards season, Murphy said: “I feel really lucky to have been in rooms full of artists who I really genuinely admire and get to spend time and talk about it.
"It is a bit of a circus, but it’s there because people love the film and they care about the work and they care about cinema.
"I have to say I’m really enjoying it… It just felt really a lovely and secure place to be.”
He added: “I think you kind of need to open your heart a little bit and just go with it; it’s all positivity and that’s a good thing, I think we need positivity in the world right now.”
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