To Oscar-Winner Cillian Murphy, A Message From Enda Walsh: "So Ridiculously Proud Of Him"

Irish actor Cillian Murphy won his first Oscar by clinching the trophy for Best Actor for his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer in the movie Oppenheimer. While congratulations are pouring in from all corners of the world, playwright Enda Walsh has also shared a special message for the actor, who is also a dear friend, on his Instagram profile. In the picture shared by Enda, we can spot the winning picture of Cillian with the text, “Cillian Murphy accepts Oscar for Best Actor, his first nomination and win.” In his heartfelt note, Enda wrote, “Almost 28 years ago Cillian's parents asked me did they think he had a future in acting. What I should have said was that - yes he will most likely win an Oscar and every other major acting award in a film awards season - but I said that I didn't know what would happen. But over the years I've watched him become the most extraordinary collaborator - a creative force - who year by year just keeps on getting better. I am so ridiculously proud of him.” He also added a red heart emoji to the caption.

Enda Walsh's post for Cillian Murphy comes as no surprise, considering their long standing collaborations and friendship. Cillian began his career in 1996 with Enda's play Disco Pigs, portraying a volatile Cork teenager. He later reprised the role in the 2001 screen adaptation. Since then, the duo has worked together on multiple occasions. In 2011, Cillian starred in Enda's stage monodrama Misterman, and three years later, he appeared in another one of Enda's plays, Ballyturk. Additionally, Cillian was involved in Grief Is The Thing With Feathers, a play adapted and directed by Enda Walsh in 2018. Apart from all these projects, Cillian's most recent film, Small Things Like These, was directed by Tim Mielants and adapted by Enda Walsh from the 2021 novel of the same name by Claire Keegan.

After seeing Enda Walsh's post, many fans of Enda and Cillian Murphy took to the comments to discuss their collaborations. One fan expressed gratitude, saying, “Well, thank you, Enda Walsh, for giving us this lil disco piggy - he turned out to be quite the bomb. We sure enjoy the journey!” Another fan reminisced about seeing Cillian in Misterman at St Ann's Warehouse, commenting, “Yup. Good man Cillian!!!! Did us all proud. Remember seeing him in Misterman at St Ann's Warehouse. MAGIC.” Predicting future success, one fan wrote, “A phenomenal achievement. Next year, it'll be both of you for Small Things Like These!”

Another commenter acknowledged Enda's role in Cillian's journey, stating, “You are a huge part of his story Enda.” Praising their collaboration, another fan mentioned, “Been watching his interviews and I love hearing him talk about you & your influence. Congratulations to you both.” Lastly, a fan complimented the quality of Cillian's work in Enda's plays, saying, “Some of the best work I ever ever seen him do is in your plays. So cheers to you too.” 

Take a look at Enda Walsh's post below:

In his winning speech at Oscars 2024, Cillian Murphy said, "Um, I'm a little overwhelmed. Thank you to the Academy. Chris Nolan and Emma Thomas, it's been the wildest, most exhilarating, most creatively, satisfying journey you've taken me on over the last 20 years. I owe you more than I can say, thank you so much. Every single crew member, every single cast member on Oppenheimer you guys carried me through. All my fellow nominees, I remain in awe of you guys, truly.”

He continued, “I want to thank my incredible team. Big shout out to Craig Bankey, Brendan Murphy, Mary Murphy, Yvonne McGuinness, my partner in life and art, my two boys Malachy and Aran who are sitting up there, I love you so much and I'm a very proud Irishman standing here tonight.”

"You know, we made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb and for better or for worse we're all living in Oppenheimer's world, so I'd really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere. Go raibh míle maith agaibh [Thank you]," Cillian Murphy added while concluding his speech.