Cillian Murphy strutted onto the Golden Globes stage with red lipstick on his nose, collar up, and no bow tie – looking like he partied hard in Saltburn. This wasn’t the Cillian Murphy the internet teased for avoiding the spotlight. This was awards season for Cillian Murphy, a whole new side. It was tough to picture him thanking the Hollywood Foreign Press, but turns out, the guy known for intense roles can handle the spotlight.
Winning the Best Actor award for a serious movie, he showed the charm that kept him in Hollywood for two decades. He cracked jokes (about Christopher Nolan’s chairless sets), stayed humble (“Acting is beautiful because you can’t do it alone“), and thanked the big players: Universal Pictures, producer Emma Thomas, and his team.
Starting with a joke about lipstick on his nose, he owned it. “Do I have lipstick on my nose?” When everyone yelled “yes!” he shrugged it off. “I’m just gonna leave it.”
Talking about working with Christopher Nolan, he said, “I knew the first time I stepped on a Nolan set that it was different – the focus, dedication, and the lack of chairs. I knew I was with a visionary director.“
He thanked his co-stars by name: Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., and Gary Oldman. “Thanks for carrying me through this movie.” Even the other nominees, including Irish pals Andrew Scott and Barry Keoghan, got a nod. He finished with a shout-out to his family.
