'Oppenheimer' Actor Drops Big Career Admission: 'My First Love'

Liz LindainFri, March 6, 2026 at 12:40 AM UTC

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This may come as a shock to some Cillian Murphy fans.

The Irish actor and producer is currently promoting the release of his new film, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, where he is reprising his role as Tommy Shelby in the crime TV series Peaky Blinders. The upcoming movie, which has a limited theatrical release on Friday, then a Netflix streaming release on March 20, follows Tommy as he returns from self-imposed exile during World War II. He reunites with his family to fight against a Nazi-backed attack to flood the United Kingdom, but his son, Duke Shelby (Barry Keoghan), is leading the Peaky Blinders into dangerous and reckless operations.

In a recent Q&A that was published by ELLE Magazine on Thursday, Murphy talked with the publication about his favorite co-stars and what it was like growing up in a household full of women. He also revealed the career that he dreamed of before becoming an actor.

Barry Keoghan (Duke Shelby) and Cillian Murphy (Tommy Shelby) of "Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man" attend a photocall in London, England ahead of the film's release. Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images for Netflix (Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images for Netflix)

When writer Ryan D'Agostino asked the 49-year-old actor who inspired him when he was first starting out his career, Murphy quickly revealed that he actually wanted to be a musician, and it was his "first love."

"[Music] was everywhere when I was growing up. We used to go to an awful lot of traditional Irish music sessions in pubs, where I’d sit there with a Fanta and a straw listening to the people who show up with instruments and play. They would appear as if by magic. And then my dad introduced me to the Beatles when I was about four. There were always cassettes in the car," Murphy admitted.

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The Oppenheimer star never professionally trained as an actor, but he participated in multiple theater productions from the ages of 20 to 24. He told ELLE a story of a time he was so eager to get out of rehearsal that he dropped his costume on the ground. An older actor went up to him and said, "Always hang up your costume," which stuck with Murphy all of these years.

"The lesson is, it ain’t just you out there prancing around under the spotlights. It’s every other person involved in this endeavor that’s important, and show some respect," Murphy explained. "The technicians, the electricians, the carpenters, the drivers, the caterers—they’re all part of this organism that keeps it going. Hang up your costume."

Cillian Murphy attends the World Premiere of "Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man" at Centenary Square on March 02, 2026 in Birmingham, England. Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images for Netflix (Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images for Netflix)

Murphy first started gaining attention in the early 2000s with his roles in 28 Days Later and Girl with a Pearl Earring, before he started collaborating with director Christopher Nolan in movies like The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and Dunkirk. He also became widely recognized for Peaky Blinders, which aired on the BBC from 2013 to 2022. In 2023, he portrayed physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Nolan's film Oppenheimer, which earned him widespread acclaim and brought him multiple major awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, cementing his reputation as one of the most respected actors of his generation.

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man will be out in theaters this Friday, then streaming on Netflix starting March 20. All six seasons of Peaky Blinders can be watched on Netflix.

Related: The Internet Marks Two Years Since ‘Barbenheimer’ Made Movie History

This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”