Cillian Murphy's Peaky Blinders colleague says particular clothing item key to his success
Cillian Murphy's stock has never been higher - and one of his former colleagues says the reason partly comes down to a particular clothing item you'll often see the Irishman donning.
Having been a professional actor for more than two decades, 47-year-old Murphy has cemented himself in the history books through his role in Christopher Nolan's 2023 epic, Oppenheimer.
Starring in the title role as J. Robert Oppenheimer, it follows Murphy as the American scientist behind the Manhattan Project and the eventual detonation of the world's first nuclear bomb.
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On Sunday evening (18 February) Murphy picked up the best actor award at the BAFTAs, following on from success at the Golden Globes in the same category.
It was the BAFTAs that saw some viewers left in 'floods of tears' while others were left 'disgusted' at interview questions that left one actor 'visibly uncomfortable'.
The big one now looms large for Murphy who is looking to pick up the Oscar for best actor when the 96th Academy Awards takes place in March.
Of course critical success is nothing new for the Irishman, following roles in other Nolan epics including The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and Dunkirk.
And on the small screen there's the tiny matter of Peaky Blinders, where Murphy stars in the lead role of family crime boss Tommy Shelby as the Shelby family make a name for themselves in a post-war Birmingham.
The critically-acclaimed show is done when it comes to TV series, but a film is still on the cards.
One of Murphy's colleagues on the BBC period crime drama, iconic actor Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, The Hunt for Red October), took to Instagram after his BAFTA win on Sunday night, where he praised the actor's 'brilliant' performance as Oppenheimer.
But he also took a rather tongue in cheek approach to the win, and his success on Peaky Blinders, by saying his clothing choices were partly to thank.
And what clothing? Hats, of course.
Neill posted the praise alongside a photo of himself in a rather dapper hat, saying it'd probably better suit Murphy now, despite him 'having had it for years'.
Neill starred in Peaky Blinders as Chief Inspector Chester Campbell, who became fixated on bringing down the Shelby empire. Given he only stars in the first two seasons, let's just say it doesn't go too well for him.
In the post, Neill said: "CILLIAN MURPHY old pal CONGRATULATIONS for BEST ACTOR BAFTA!
"His brilliant OPPENHEIMER performance.
"But here’s the thing about Cillian. He just OWNS hats.
"The Peaky Blinder cheese-cutter . He owns it . The Oppenheimer hat - he owns it.
"And my old hat I have had for years, now it has Cillian all over it. Dammit Cillian…"
To be fair to Neill, the hat does kind of make the role complete for both J. Robert Oppenheimer and Tommy Shelby.
Topics: BBC, Peaky Blinders, Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer, TV and Film, BAFTAs
Tom Earnshaw