Editing Cillian Murphy (section)

==Career==
===1996–2002: Theatre work and early roles===
Murphy pressured Pat Kiernan until he got an audition at [[Corcadorca Theatre Company]], and in September 1996, he made his professional acting debut on the stage, playing the part of a volatile Cork teenager in [[Enda Walsh]]'s ''Disco Pigs''.<ref name="From Cork to Gotham" /> Walsh recalled meeting and discovering Murphy: "There was something about him&nbsp;– he was incredibly enigmatic and he would walk into a room with real presence and you'd go, "My God". It had nothing to do with those bloody eyes that everyone's going on about all the time."<ref name="IHT11"/> Murphy observed, "I was unbelievably cocky and had nothing to lose, and it suited the part, I suppose".<ref name="LAT pale blue eyes">{{cite news |author=Abramowitz, Rachel |date=8 March 2007 |title=Cillian Murphy: More to offer than pale blue eyes |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-mar-11-ca-cillian11-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=10 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620034239/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/11/entertainment/ca-cillian11 |archive-date=20 June 2008}}</ref> Originally intended to run for three weeks in Cork,<ref name="From Cork to Gotham" /> ''Disco Pigs'' ended up touring throughout Europe, Canada and Australia for two years, and Murphy left both university<ref name="Independent action hero" /> and his band.<ref name="TONY 2005" /> Though he had intended to go back to playing music, he secured representation after his first agent caught a performance of ''Disco Pigs'', and his acting career began to take off.<ref name="Back Stage 2005">{{cite news|author=Riley, Jenelle|url=http://www.backstage.com/news/luck-of-the-irish_2/|title=Luck of the Irish|newspaper=Back Stage'|date=18 November 2005|access-date=9 August 2007|archive-date=30 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030105200/http://www.backstage.com/news/luck-of-the-irish_2/|url-status=live}}</ref>

He starred in many other theatre productions, including [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' (1998), ''[[The Country Boy (play)|The Country Boy]],'' and ''[[Juno and the Paycock]]'' (both 1999).<ref name="WillisBlum2002">{{cite book|last1=Willis|first1=John A.|last2=Blum|first2=Daniel C.|title=Screen World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9NVkAAAAMAAJ|year=2002|publisher=Crown Publishers|isbn=9781557834782|access-date=27 February 2016|archive-date=28 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628232406/http://books.google.com/books?id=9NVkAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> He began appearing in independent films such as ''[[On the Edge (2001 film)|On the Edge]]'' (2001), and in short films, including ''Filleann an Feall'' (2000) and ''Watchmen'' (2001).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://directory.irishfilmboard.ie/films/36-filleann-an-feall |title=Filleann an Feall |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304203356/http://directory.irishfilmboard.ie/films/36-filleann-an-feall |archive-date=4 March 2016 |work=Irish Film Board |access-date=2 March 2014}}</ref> He also reprised his role for the film adaption of ''[[Disco Pigs]]'' (2001) and appeared in the [[BBC]] television mini-series adaptation of ''[[The Way We Live Now (2001 TV serial)|The Way We Live Now]]''.<ref name="Back Stage 2005" /><ref name="Shape of Things">{{cite web|url=http://www.gate-theatre.ie/theshapeofthings.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050208220438/http://www.gate-theatre.ie/theshapeofthings.html|archive-date=8 February 2005|title=The Shape of Things|publisher= Gate-Theatre.ie|access-date=26 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Harris |first=Will |date=28 August 2011 |title=Cillian Murphy interview |newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]] |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/cillian-murphy-64107 |url-status=live |access-date=2 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030200046/http://www.avclub.com/article/cillian-murphy-64107 |archive-date=30 October 2014}}</ref> During this period, he moved from Cork, relocating first to [[Dublin]] for a few years, then to London in 2001.<ref name="Boston Globe 2006">{{cite news |author=Heller, Scott |date=1 January 2006 |title=Murphy's law: seek diversity |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |url=https://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2006/01/01/murphys_lawseek_diversity/ |url-status=live |access-date=22 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618172855/http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2006/01/01/murphys_lawseek_diversity/ |archive-date=18 June 2008}}</ref> In 2002, Murphy starred as Adam in a theatre production of [[Neil LaBute]]'s ''[[The Shape of Things]]'' at the [[Gate Theatre]] in Dublin. Writing for ''[[The Irish Times]]'', Fintan O'Toole praised Murphy's performance, "Murphy measures out his metamorphosis with an impressive subtlety and intelligence".<ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Toole |first=Fintan |date=7 February 2002 |title=Reviews |language=en |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/reviews-1.1049523 |url-status=live |access-date=3 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134910/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/reviews-1.1049523 |archive-date=17 October 2020}}</ref>

===2002–2004: ''28 Days Later'' and breakthrough===
Murphy was cast in the lead role in [[Danny Boyle]]'s horror film ''[[28 Days Later]]'' (2002). He portrayed [[pandemic]] survivor Jim, who is "perplexed to find himself alone in the desolate, post-apocalyptic world" after waking from a coma in a London hospital.{{sfn|Dendle|2012|p=200}} Casting director Gail Stevens suggested that Boyle audition Murphy for the role, having been impressed with his performance in ''Disco Pigs''. Stevens stated that it was only after seeing his slender physique during filming that they decided to feature him fully nude at the beginning of the film.{{sfn|Raphael|2011|p=124}}{{sfn|Derry|2009|p=263}} She recalled that Murphy was shy on set with the tendency to look slightly away from the camera, but enthused that he had a "dreamy, slightly de-energised, floating quality that is fantastic for the film". Released in the UK in late 2002, by the following July, ''28 Days Later'' had become a [[sleeper hit]] in North America, and success worldwide, putting Murphy in front of a mass audience for the first time.<ref name="Variety Diorio">{{cite news |author=Diorio, Carl |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/news/summer-summary-a-fish-tale-1117890252/ |title=Summer summary: A fish tale |work=Variety |date=3 August 2003 |access-date=17 August 2007 |archive-date=17 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134909/https://variety.com/2003/film/news/summer-summary-a-fish-tale-1117890252/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Variety03">{{cite news |last = DiOrio |first = Carl |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/news/summer-of-love-for-specialty-labels-1117890915/ |title = Summer of love for specialty labels |work = Variety |date = 18 August 2003 |access-date = 19 October 2007 |archive-date = 17 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134909/https://variety.com/2003/film/news/summer-of-love-for-specialty-labels-1117890915/ |url-status = live }}</ref> His performance earned him a nomination for Best Newcomer at the [[8th Empire Awards]], and Breakthrough Male Performance at the [[2004 MTV Movie Awards]].<ref name="2004 MTV">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/archive/year.jhtml?year=2004|title= 2004 MTV Movie Awards|publisher= MTV|access-date= 21 October 2007|archive-date= 7 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607140956/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/archive/year.jhtml?year=2004|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref name="2003 Empire">{{cite web |title=The Eighth Annual Empire Awards |url=https://www.empireonline.com/awards2003/report.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041704/http://www.empireonline.com/awards2003/report.asp |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=21 October 2007 |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]}}</ref> Murphy professed that he considered the film to be much deeper than a zombie or horror film, expressing surprise at the film's success, and that American audiences responded well to its content and violence.<ref name="IT803" /> Murphy said, "The film did so well. And you watch zombie stuff [now], we were the first people to make zombies run, and [that] changed everything. It has a very special place in my heart, that movie."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moore |first1=Sam |date=25 June 2019 |title=The new '28 Days Later' film — everything we know so far about the third instalment |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/28-days-later-sequel-everything-we-know-so-far-title-release-date-trailer-director-danny-boyle-alex-garland-2514728 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410191203/https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/28-days-later-sequel-everything-we-know-so-far-title-release-date-trailer-director-danny-boyle-alex-garland-2514728 |archive-date=10 April 2020 |access-date=9 February 2020 |website=[[NME.com]]}}</ref>

In 2003, Murphy played the role of Konstantine in a stage production of [[Anton Chekhov|Chekhov]]'s ''[[The Seagull]]'' at the [[Edinburgh International Festival]]. He said that he wanted to play Konstantine because the character "goes on this amazing journey through the play [...] he comes to realise there's no point being an iconoclastic writer just for the sake of it, and that the search for new forms has to have something behind it".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hoggard |first=Liz |date=9 August 2003 |title='I was a Chekhov virgin' |language=en-GB |work=[[The Observer]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2003/aug/10/features.review37 |url-status=live |access-date=3 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911222943/http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2003/aug/10/features.review37 |archive-date=11 September 2014 |issn=0029-7712}}</ref>

Murphy starred as a lovelorn, hapless supermarket stocker who plots a bank heist with [[Colin Farrell]] in ''[[Intermission (film)|Intermission]]'' (2003), which became the highest-grossing Irish independent film in Irish box office history (until ''[[The Wind That Shakes the Barley (film)|The Wind That Shakes the Barley]]'' broke the record in 2006).<ref name="RTE press watch">{{cite web |date=8 August 2006 |title=Loach Film Sets New Money Mark |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/business/2006/0808/79103-presswatch/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019173806/http://www.rte.ie/news/business/2006/0808/79103-presswatch/ |archive-date=19 October 2013 |access-date=18 July 2007 |publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann]]}}</ref> Reflecting on his roles in ''28 Days Later'' and the "sad-sack Dublin shelf-stacker" in ''Intermission'', Sarah Lyall of the ''[[International Herald Tribune]]'' stated that Murphy brought "fluent ease to the roles he takes on, a graceful and wholly believable intensity. His delicate good looks have, as much as his acting prowess, caused people to mark him as Ireland's next [[Colin Farrell]], albeit one who seems less likely to be caught tomcatting around or brawling drunkenly at premieres."<ref name="IHT03">{{cite news |last=Lyall |first=Sarah |date=10 December 2014 |title=Cillian Murphy vies to remain unspoiled |newspaper=[[International Herald Tribune]] |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-88356853.html |url-status=dead |access-date=3 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611073341/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-88356853.html |archive-date=11 June 2014}}{{subscription required}}</ref> He had a minor supporting role in the successful Hollywood period drama ''[[Cold Mountain (film)|Cold Mountain]]'' (2003). He portrayed a deserting soldier who shares a grim scene with [[Jude Law]]'s character, and was on location in Romania for only a week. Murphy stated that it was a "massive production", remarking that director [[Anthony Minghella]] was the calmest director he'd ever met.<ref name="IT803">{{cite news |date=9 August 2003 |title=Just trying to mix it up; With 'The Seagull' in Edinburgh, 'Intermission' set to open and '28 Days Later' a US hit, Cillian Murphy is on a roll, writes Michael Dwyer |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-24687909.html |url-status=dead |access-date=3 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611073357/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-24687909.html |archive-date=11 June 2014}}{{subscription required}}</ref> Murphy also had a role as a butcher in ''[[Girl with a Pearl Earring (film)|Girl with a Pearl Earring]]'' (2003) with [[Scarlett Johansson]] and [[Colin Firth]].<ref>{{cite news |date=21 February 2009 |title=SPOTLIGHT ON |newspaper=[[Western Mail (Wales)|The Western Mail]] |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-194199818.html |url-status=dead |access-date=4 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611074931/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-194199818.html |archive-date=11 June 2014}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

In 2004, Murphy toured Ireland with the [[Druid Theatre Company]], in ''[[The Playboy of the Western World]]'' (playing the character of Christy Mahon) under the direction of [[Garry Hynes]]—who had previously directed Murphy back in 1999 in the theatre productions of ''Juno and the Paycock''—and also in ''The Country Boy''.<ref>{{cite news |date=12 February 2004 |title=The Playboy of the Western World; Town Hall Theatre, Galway |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-24726352.html |url-status=dead |access-date=3 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611073350/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-24726352.html |archive-date=11 June 2014}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=31 March 2008 |title=Juno |newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-178119682.html |url-status=dead |access-date=3 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611073352/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-178119682.html |archive-date=11 June 2014}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

===2005–2006: Villainous roles and critical success===
[[File:Cillianmurphy.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Murphy at the 2005 [[New York Film Festival]]]]
Murphy appeared as [[Scarecrow (DC Comics)|Dr. Jonathan Crane]] in [[Christopher Nolan]]'s ''[[Batman Begins]]'' (2005). Originally asked to audition for the role of [[Batman|Bruce Wayne/Batman]], Murphy never saw himself as having the right physique for the superhero, but leapt at the chance to connect with director Nolan.<ref name="Boston Globe 2006" /> Though the lead went to [[Christian Bale]], Nolan was so impressed with Murphy that he gave him the supporting role of Dr. Crane, whose alter ego is [[supervillain]] [[Scarecrow (DC Comics)|Scarecrow]].<ref name="Back Stage 2005" /> Nolan told ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine, "He has the most extraordinary eyes, and I kept trying to invent excuses for him to take his glasses off in close-ups".<ref name="Spin 2005">{{cite journal| last = Itzkoff | first = Dave | title = Cillian's Irish Dread | journal = Spin | date = June 2005}}</ref> He starred as Jackson Rippner, who terrorises [[Rachel McAdams]] on an overnight flight in [[Wes Craven]]'s thriller, ''[[Red Eye (American film)|Red Eye]]'' (2005). ''[[The New York Times]]'' film critic [[Manohla Dargis]] asserted that Murphy made "a picture-perfect villain" and that his "baby blues look cold enough to freeze water and his wolfish leer suggests its own terrors".<ref name="Dargis">Dargis, Manohla. {{cite news|url=http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/08/19/movies/19crav.html|title=Sticking Out a Tense Flight With a Terrorist as Seatmate|work=The New York Times|date=19 August 2005|access-date=18 July 2007|archive-date=21 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121204054/http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/08/19/movies/19crav.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was favourably reviewed and earned almost $100&nbsp;million worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |title=Red Eye (2005) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1149496-1149496-red_eye |access-date=11 March 2014 |archive-date=26 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426052442/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1149496-1149496-red_eye/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Red Eye (2005) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=redeye.htm |access-date=11 March 2014 |archive-date=7 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307163258/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=redeye.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Murphy received several awards nominations for his 2005 villainous roles, among them a nomination as Best Villain at the [[MTV Movie Awards 2006|2006 MTV Movie Awards]] for ''Batman Begins''.<ref name="MTV 2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/archive/year.jhtml?year=2006|title=2006 MTV Movie Awards|publisher=MTV|access-date=28 July 2007|archive-date=7 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107045111/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2007/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' ranked him among its 2005 "Summer [[Most valuable player|MVPs]]", a cover story list of 10 entertainers with outstanding breakthrough performances.<ref name="EW Summer 2005">{{cite magazine|last=Jensen |first=Jeff |url=https://ew.com/article/2005/08/22/summers-movie-star-mvps-cillian-murphy/ |title=Summer's MVPs |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=26 August 2005 |access-date=19 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009043456/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C1094413_4%2C00.html |archive-date= 9 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[The New Yorker]]''<nowiki/>'s [[David Denby (film critic)|David Denby]] wrote: "Cillian Murphy, who has angelic looks that can turn sinister, is one of the most elegantly seductive monsters in recent movies."<ref name="Denby on Red Eye">{{cite magazine | last = Denby | first = David |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/09/12/partners-7?currentPage=1 | title = Partners | magazine = [[The New Yorker]] | date = 12 September 2005 | access-date = 9 September 2007 | archive-date = 18 June 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618154902/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/09/12/partners-7?currentPage=1 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Murphy starred as Patrick/"Kitten" Braden, a [[transgender]] Irish woman in search of her mother, in [[Neil Jordan]]'s comedy-drama ''[[Breakfast on Pluto (film)|Breakfast on Pluto]]'' (2005), based on the novel of the same title by [[Patrick McCabe (novelist)|Patrick McCabe]]. Seen against the film's kaleidoscopic backdrop of 1970s [[glitter rock]] fashion, magic shows, [[red-light district]]s and [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] violence, Murphy transforms from [[androgynous]] teen to a blonde [[drag (clothing)|drag]] queen. He had auditioned for the role in 2001 and, though Jordan liked him for the part, the director of ''[[The Crying Game]]'' was hesitant to revisit transgender and IRA issues. The actor lobbied Jordan for several years in a bid to get the film made before Murphy became too old to play the part; in 2004, he prepared for the role by meeting a [[transvestite]] who dressed him and took him clubbing with other transvestites.<ref name="TONY 2005" /> The role required "serious primping" with eyebrow plucking and chest and leg hair removal,<ref name="Publishing2005">{{cite journal|title=Red Eye to eye shadow|first=Michael|last=Giltz|journal = The Advocate {{!}} the National Gay & Lesbian Newsmagazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PGUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA73|date=22 November 2005|publisher=Here Publishing|page=73|issn=0001-8996|access-date=27 February 2016|archive-date=28 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628232606/http://books.google.com/books?id=PGUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA73|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Roger Ebert]] noted the way that Murphy played the character with a "bemused and hopeful voice".{{sfn|Ebert|2013|p=76}}<ref name="Stein">{{cite news | last = Stein | first = Ruthe |url=http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Walking-on-thin-gender-line-in-search-of-love-2586631.php | title = Walking on thin gender line in search of love | newspaper = San Francisco Chronicle | date = 23 December 2005 | access-date = 18 July 2007 | archive-date = 8 October 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008084959/http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Walking-on-thin-gender-line-in-search-of-love-2586631.php | url-status = live }}</ref> While lukewarm reviews of ''Breakfast on Pluto'' tended to praise Murphy's performance highly,<ref name="Metacritic BoP">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/breakfast-on-pluto|title=Breakfast on Pluto|website=Metacritic|access-date=20 October 2007|archive-date=29 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829142030/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/breakfast-on-pluto|url-status=live}}</ref> a few critics dissented: ''[[The Village Voice]]'', which panned the film, found him "unconvincing" and overly cute.<ref name="Voice BoP">{{cite news|author=Atkinson, Michael|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/film/men-are-from-mars-bad-transvestite-movies-are-from-pluto-6399556|title=Men Are From Mars, Bad Transvestite Movies Are From ''Pluto''|work=The Village Voice|date=15 November 2005|access-date=21 August 2007|archive-date=18 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618161718/http://www.villagevoice.com/film/men-are-from-mars-bad-transvestite-movies-are-from-pluto-6399556|url-status=live}}</ref> Murphy was nominated for a [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for ''Breakfast on Pluto''<ref name="2006 Globes news">{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/13/goldenglobes.list/index.html|title=63rd Golden Globe Awards Nominations|publisher=CNN|date=13 December 2005|access-date=26 February 2014|archive-date=2 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102031846/http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/13/goldenglobes.list/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and won the fourth [[IFTA Award|Irish Film and Television Academy]] Best Actor Award.<ref name="4th IFTA">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ifta.ie/winners/iftawinners2007.html |title=The 4th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards Winners |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107032122/http://www.ifta.ie/winners/iftawinners2007.html |archive-date=7 November 2010 |work=IFTA.ie |access-date=21 September 2007}}</ref> ''[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]'' magazine cited his performance as Kitten in their "The 24 Finest Performances of 2005" feature.<ref name="Premiere 2005 best" />

In 2006, Murphy starred in ''[[The Wind That Shakes the Barley (film)|The Wind That Shakes the Barley]]'', a film about the [[Irish War of Independence]] and the [[Irish Civil War]], which won the [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[2006 Cannes Film Festival]] and became the most successful Irish independent film at the Irish box office.<ref name="BBC d'Or">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5025812.stm|title=Loach film wins top Cannes prize|work=BBC News|date=29 May 2006|access-date=25 September 2007|archive-date=23 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061223070845/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5025812.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Murphy was especially keen on appearing in the film due to his intimate connections to [[Cork (city)|Cork, Ireland]], where the film was shot. Murphy auditioned six times for the role of Damien O'Donovan, a young doctor turned revolutionary, before winning the part. Murphy considered it a very special privilege to have been given the role and stated that he was "tremendously proud" of the film, remarking that the "memories run very, very deep&nbsp;– the politics, the divisions and everybody has stories of family members who were caught up in the struggle."<ref>{{cite news |author=Quigley, Maeve |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-146366167 |title=Star Cillian Will Shake Film World. Murphy Tells of His Joy as Irish Movie Blows Critics Away |newspaper=The Mirror |date=30 May 2006 |access-date=3 March 2014 |archive-date=17 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134914/https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-146366167/star-cillian-will-shake-film-world-murphy-tells-of |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}</ref> David Denby noted Murphy's moments of deep stillness and idiosyncrasies in portraying the character.<ref name="Denby Barley">{{cite magazine|author=Denby, David|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/03/19/taking-sides|title=Taking Sides|magazine=The New Yorker|date=19 March 2007|access-date=18 July 2007|archive-date=28 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028182932/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/03/19/taking-sides|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Kenneth Turan]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that "Murphy is especially good at playing the zealotry as well as the soul-searching and the regret, at showing us a man who is eaten up alive because he's forced to act in ways that are contrary to his background and his training".<ref name="Turan on Barley">{{cite news |author=Turan, Kenneth|url=https://www.latimes.com/cl-et-wind16mar16-story.html |title=''The Wind That Shakes the Barley'' Goes Beyond Zealotry|work= Los Angeles Times|date= 16 March 2007|access-date= 7 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618171413/http://www.latimes.com/cl-et-wind16mar16-story.html|archive-date=18 June 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[GQ]]'' magazine presented Murphy with its 2006 Actor of the Year award for his work in ''The Wind That Shakes the Barley''.<ref name="BBC GQ 2006">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5319176.stm|title= McCartney is ''GQ'''s Man of the Year|work= BBC News|date= 6 September 2006|access-date= 8 September 2006|archive-date= 24 September 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924155817/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5319176.stm|url-status= live}}</ref>

===2006–2012: Further theatre and film roles===
[[File:InceptionCastPremiereJuly10.jpg|thumb|left|Murphy (far left) with the cast of ''[[Inception]]'' in 2010]]
Murphy returned to the stage starring opposite [[Neve Campbell]] at the [[Ambassadors Theatre (London)|New Ambassadors Theatre]] in London's West End from November 2006 to February 2007, playing the lead role of John Kolvenbach's play ''Love Song''. ''Theatre Record'' described his character of Beane as a "winsomely cranky" mentally unstable "sentimentalised lonely hero", noting how he magnetically, with "all blue eyes and twitching hands", moves "comically from painfully shy "wallpaper" to garrulous, amorous male.<ref>{{cite book|title=Theatre Record|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SJgrAQAAIAAJ|year=2006|publisher=I. Herbert|page=1462|access-date=27 February 2016|archive-date=28 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628233608/http://books.google.com/books?id=SJgrAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' magazine considered his performance to be "as magnetic onstage as onscreen", remarking that his "unhurried puzzlement pulls the slight preciousness in the character's idiot-savant naivete back from the brink".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2006/legit/reviews/love-song-2-1200511666/|title=Love Song|work=Variety|date=5 December 2006|access-date=3 March 2014|archive-date=17 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134910/https://variety.com/2006/legit/reviews/love-song-2-1200511666/|url-status=live}}</ref>

He starred in the science fiction film ''[[Sunshine (2007 film)|Sunshine]]'' (2007) as a physicist-astronaut charged with re-igniting the sun, also directed by [[Danny Boyle]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Bradshaw |first=Peter |title=Sunshine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/apr/06/actionandadventure.sciencefictionandfantasy |access-date=2 March 2014 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=6 April 2007 |archive-date=6 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306112257/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/apr/06/actionandadventure.sciencefictionandfantasy |url-status=live }}</ref> He starred opposite [[Lucy Liu]] in [[Paul Soter]]'s romantic comedy ''[[Watching the Detectives (film)|Watching the Detectives]]'' (2007); the [[independent film|indie film]] premiered at the 2007 [[Tribeca Film Festival]] and was released direct-to-DVD.<ref name="Tribeca">{{cite magazine|author=Hill, Logan|url=https://www.vulture.com/2007/04/lucy_liu.html|title=Lucy Liu: Lesbian Vampire, Party Girl|magazine=New York|date=30 April 2007|access-date=19 October 2007|archive-date=8 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008105106/http://www.vulture.com/2007/04/lucy_liu.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Murphy starred as [[Richard Neville (writer)|Richard Neville]], editor of the psychedelic radical underground magazine ''[[Oz (magazine)|Oz]]'' in the film ''[[Hippie Hippie Shake]]'', which was filmed in 2007, but the project, much delayed, was eventually shelved in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Fleming|first1=Michael|last2=Dawtrey|first2=Adam|url=https://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/hippie-grooves-for-universal-2-1117964175/|title=''Hippie'' grooves for Universal|work=Variety|date=2 May 2007|access-date=2 May 2007|archive-date=17 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134910/https://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/hippie-grooves-for-universal-2-1117964175/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author1=Maddox, Garry|author2=Meacham, Steve|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/hippies-tossed-aside-in-corporate-decision-20110213-1as55.html|title=Hippies tossed aside in corporate decision|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=14 February 2011|access-date=21 October 2012|archive-date=10 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010222616/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/hippies-tossed-aside-in-corporate-decision-20110213-1as55.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Murphy made a brief re-appearance as the Scarecrow in Nolan's ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' (2008), the sequel to ''Batman Begins'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Cillian Murphy teases 'Dark Knight Rises' Scarecrow return?|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a387509/cillian-murphy-teases-dark-knight-rises-scarecrow-return-video.html|work=Digital Spy|date=15 June 2012|access-date=2 March 2014|archive-date=17 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134941/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a387509/cillian-murphy-teases-dark-knight-rises-scarecrow-return-video/|url-status=live}}</ref> before starring in ''[[The Edge of Love]]''—about a love quadrangle involving the poet [[Dylan Thomas]]—with [[Keira Knightley]], [[Sienna Miller]] and [[Matthew Rhys]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Thomas, Archie|url=https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/maybury-s-love-to-open-edinburgh-1117983757/|title=Maybury's ''Love'' to open Edinburgh|work=Variety|date=9 April 2008|access-date=14 April 2008|archive-date=18 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618162805/http://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/maybury-s-love-to-open-edinburgh-1117983757/|url-status=live}}</ref> In July 2008, Murphy made a debut appearance in another medium—on a postage stamp; the Irish Post Office, [[An Post]], released a series of four stamps paying homage to the creativity of films recently produced in Ireland, including one featuring Murphy in a still from ''The Wind That Shakes the Barley''.<ref>{{cite news |date=8 July 2008 |title=Filmed in Ireland |url=http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/News+and+Information/Filmed+in+Ireland.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134948/https://www.anpost.com/Media-Centre/News |archive-date=17 October 2020 |access-date=16 June 2013 |work=An Post}}</ref> In 2009, Murphy starred opposite rock singer [[Feist (singer)|Feist]] and actor [[David Fox (actor)|David Fox]] in ''[[The Water (short film)|The Water]]'', directed by [[Kevin Drew]] of [[Broken Social Scene]]. The 15-minute Canadian short film, released online in April 2009, is nearly silent until the Feist song of the same title plays close to the end. Murphy was attracted to the role as a fan of Broken Social Scene and the prospect of making a silent movie, which he considered to be the "hardest test for any actor".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifc.com/fix/2009/04/cillian-murphy-the-water|title=Cillian Murphy Takes to 'The Water'|publisher=Ifc.com|date=8 April 2009|access-date=3 March 2014|archive-date=15 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615145124/http://www.ifc.com/fix/2009/04/cillian-murphy-the-water|url-status=live}}</ref> Murphy also starred in ''[[Perrier's Bounty]]'', a crime dramedy from the makers of ''Intermission'', in which he portrayed a petty criminal on the run from a gangster played by [[Brendan Gleeson]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Morris |first=Wesley |title=Perrier's Bounty: Gangster dramedy swears by standard road trip formula |work=The Boston Globe |date=9 July 2010 |url=https://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2010/07/09/perriers_bounty_movie_review____perriers_bounty_showtimes |access-date=19 June 2015 |archive-date=19 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619111637/http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2010/07/09/perriers_bounty_movie_review____perriers_bounty_showtimes/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2010, he made a return to theatre in ''From Galway to Broadway and back again'', which was a stage show that celebrated the [[Druid Theatre Company]]'s 35th birthday.<ref>{{cite web|title=From Galway to Broadway and back again 2010&nbsp;– Galway|url=http://www.druid.ie/productions/from-galway-to-broadway-and-back-again#about|publisher=Druid Theatre Company|access-date=2 August 2013|archive-date=18 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618162222/http://www.druid.ie/productions/from-galway-to-broadway-and-back-again#about|url-status=live}}</ref> The direct-to-video psychological thriller ''[[Peacock (2010 film)|Peacock]]'' (2010), co-starring [[Elliot Page]], [[Susan Sarandon]] and [[Bill Pullman]], starred Murphy as a man with a split personality who fools people into believing he is also his own wife. Christian Toto of ''[[The Washington Times]]'' referred to the film as "a handsomely mounted psychological drama with an arresting lead turn by Cillian Murphy", and noted that although Murphy wasn't a stranger to playing in drag, his work in the film set a "new standard for gender-bending performances".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/movies-toto/2010/apr/21/dvd-review-peacock/|title=DVD review: 'Peacock'|publisher=The Washinginton Times |date=21 April 2010 |access-date=3 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100428075456/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/movies-toto/2010/apr/21/dvd-review-peacock/ |archive-date=28 April 2010 }}</ref> Murphy next starred in [[Christopher Nolan]]'s ''[[Inception]]'' (2010), playing entrepreneur Robert Fischer, whose mind is infiltrated by DiCaprio's character Cobb to convince him to dissolve his business.<ref name="Hawk-Eye">{{cite book|title=The Hawk-Eye -September issue-|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oKPvO9PtAF0C&pg=PA8|publisher=The Hawk-Eye|page=8|access-date=27 February 2016|archive-date=28 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628232844/http://books.google.com/books?id=oKPvO9PtAF0C&pg=PA8|url-status=live}}</ref> That year, Murphy also made an uncredited [[Cameo appearance|cameo]] as programmer Edward Dillinger Jr., son of original ''[[Tron]]'' antagonist Ed Dillinger ([[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]]) in ''[[Tron: Legacy]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jagernauth|first1=Kevin|title=Which Actor Makes A Surprise Cameo In 'Tron: Legacy' (And Is Maybe Set Up As A Future Villain)?|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2010/12/which-actor-makes-a-surprise-cameo-in-tron-legacy-and-is-maybe-set-up-as-a-future-villain-121443/|website=[[IndieWire]]|access-date=24 November 2017|date=7 December 2010|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035728/http://www.indiewire.com/2010/12/which-actor-makes-a-surprise-cameo-in-tron-legacy-and-is-maybe-set-up-as-a-future-villain-121443/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2011, Murphy performed in the stage [[monodrama]] ''Misterman'', written and directed by [[Enda Walsh]], with whom he had previously worked on ''Disco Pigs''. The production was initially staged in [[Galway]] and was taken to [[St. Ann's Warehouse]] in [[Brooklyn]], New York. Murphy said of the role, "The live nature of it makes it so dangerous. You're only there because of the goodwill of the audience, and that's compounded by its being a one-man show."<ref name="IHT11"/> His performance earned critical acclaim, garnering [[Irish Times Theatre Awards|Irish Times Theatre Award]] and a [[Drama Desk Award]].<ref name="irishcentral.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishcentral.com/culture/entertainment/inception-actor-cillian-murphy-wins-theatre-award-for-misterman-140860913-237432721.html|title=''Inception'' actor Cillian Murphy wins theatre award for ''Misterman''|publisher=Irishcentral.com|date=29 February 2012|access-date=29 May 2012|archive-date=18 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618155632/http://www.irishcentral.com/culture/entertainment/inception-actor-cillian-murphy-wins-theatre-award-for-misterman-140860913-237432721.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="cultureireland.ie">{{cite web|url=http://www.cultureireland.ie/news/article/cillian-murphy-wins-drama-desk-award-for-misterman|title=Cillian Murphy wins Drama Desk Award for ''Misterman''|publisher=Cultureireland.ie|date=7 June 2012|access-date=10 June 2012|archive-date=27 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927044652/http://www.cultureireland.ie/news/article/cillian-murphy-wins-drama-desk-award-for-misterman|url-status=dead}}</ref> Sarah Lyall of the ''International Herald Tribune'' described Murphy's character Thomas Magill to be a "complicated mixture of sympathetic and not nice at all&nbsp;– deeply wounded, but with a dangerous, skewed moral code", praising his ability to mimic wickedly. Lyall noted Murphy's "unusual ability to create and inhabit creepy yet fascinating characters from the big screen to the small stage in the intense one-man show ''Misterman''", and documented that on one evening the "theatre was flooded, not with applause but with silence", eventually culminating in a standing ovation at his powerful performance.<ref name="IHT11">{{cite news |author=Lyall, Sarah |date=26 September 2011 |title=One stage can barely contain him; Cillian Murphy packs lots of emotion and energy into one-man show |newspaper=[[International Herald Tribune]] |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-200584111.html |url-status=dead |access-date=3 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611073331/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-200584111.html |archive-date=11 June 2014}} {{subscription required}}</ref> He played the lead in the British horror film ''[[Retreat (2011 film)|Retreat]]'' (2011), which had a [[limited release]]. He also appeared in the science fiction film ''[[In Time]]'' (2011), starring [[Justin Timberlake]] and [[Amanda Seyfried]], which was poorly reviewed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_time/|title=In Time|work=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=11 March 2014|archive-date=27 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427003357/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_time/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Murphy starred in ''[[Red Lights (2012 film)|Red Lights]]'' (2012) with [[Robert De Niro]] and [[Sigourney Weaver]]. He played Tom Buckley, the assistant to Weaver's character who is a paranormal investigator. Murphy considered working with De Niro to have been one of the most intimidating moments in his career. He remarked: "My first scene when I come to visit him my character is supposed to be terrified and intimidated. There was no acting involved. The man has presence. You can't act presence. I'll never have that. Watching him use it... when you put a camera on it, it just becomes something else."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-293032412|title=There Was No Acting in My De Niro Terror! Interview: Cillian Murphy|newspaper=The Birmingham Post|date=14 June 2012|access-date=3 March 2014|archive-date=17 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134949/https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-293032412/there-was-no-acting-in-my-de-niro-terror-interview|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref> The film was panned by critics and under-performed at the box office.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/red_lights_2012/|title= Red Lights|website= Rotten Tomatoes|access-date= 2 March 2014|archive-date= 3 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203094524/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/red_lights_2012/|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=redlights2012.htm|title=Red Lights (2012)|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=3 March 2014|archive-date=26 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326114113/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=redlights2012.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Murphy went on to reprise his role as the Scarecrow for the third time in ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' (2012),<ref>{{cite web|title='Batman Begins' actor back for 'The Dark Knight Rises'|url=https://www.nme.com/filmandtv/news/batman-begins-actor-back-for-the-dark-knight-ris/247870|work=NME|publisher=IPC Media Entertainment Network|access-date=21 September 2012|date=30 September 2011|archive-date=4 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104025945/http://www.nme.com/filmandtv/news/batman-begins-actor-back-for-the-dark-knight-ris/247870|url-status=live}}</ref> and had a supporting role as Mike in the British independent film ''[[Broken (2012 film)|Broken]]'' (2012). His performance earned him a [[BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor|British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor]] nomination.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/nov/06/broken-british-independent-film-award-nominations|author=Child, Ben|title=Broken fixed up with nine British independent film award nominations|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=6 November 2012|access-date=4 March 2014|archive-date=6 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306230256/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/nov/06/broken-british-independent-film-award-nominations|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2013–present: ''Peaky Blinders'' and ''Oppenheimer''===
[[File:Cillian Murphy-2014.jpg|thumb|upright|Murphy at the premiere of the second season of ''Peaky Blinders'' in 2014]]
Beginning in 2013, Murphy starred as [[Tommy Shelby|Thomas Shelby]] in the BBC television series ''[[Peaky Blinders (UK TV series)|Peaky Blinders]]'', a series about a criminal gang in [[Birmingham]] during the post-[[World War I]] period.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/peakyblinders.html|title=BBC Two announces drama series Peaky Blinders|publisher=BBC|access-date=3 March 2014|archive-date=2 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002215034/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/peakyblinders.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Jason Statham]] was initially picked for the role by director [[Steven Knight]], who met both actors to talk about the role.<ref name="JSPeaky">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/jason-statham-peaky-blinders-cillian-murphy-tommy-shelby-steven-knight-a9545736.html|title=Peaky Blinders: Jason Statham lost Tommy Shelby role over text message, Steven Knight reveals|last=White|first=Adam|date=3 June 2020|work=[[The Independent]]|access-date=15 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618045720/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/jason-statham-peaky-blinders-cillian-murphy-tommy-shelby-steven-knight-a9545736.html|archive-date=18 June 2020}}</ref> Knight later said, "Cillian, when you meet him, isn't Tommy, obviously, but I was stupid enough not to understand that".<ref name="JSPeaky" /> He picked Murphy after receiving a text message from Murphy that read, "Remember, I'm an actor".<ref name="JSPeaky" /> Murphy told ''The Independent'', "[The scripts] were so compelling and confident, and the character was so rich and complex, layered and contradictory. I was like, 'I have to do this.'"<ref>{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Holly|title=Cillian Murphy: 'My foot's in the door... I hang out with musicians|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/cillian-murphy-my-foots-in-the-door-i-hang-out-with-musicians-8803226.html|access-date=11 March 2014|newspaper=The Independent|date=8 September 2013|archive-date=17 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134952/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/cillian-murphy-my-foot-s-door-i-hang-out-musicians-8803226.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Peaky Blinders'' was praised and received high ratings. A second series began broadcasting on the BBC in October 2014. On 25 August 2019, the first episode of season 5 was broadcast on [[BBC One]]. In an interview with [[Digital Spy]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a32914522/peaky-blinders-season-6-release-date-addressed/ |title=Peaky Blinders season 6 potential release date addressed by director Anthony Byrne |date=20 June 2020|first=Laurence|last=Mozafari |website=[[Digital Spy]] |access-date=14 August 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806121115/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a32914522/peaky-blinders-season-6-release-date-addressed/ |url-status=live }}</ref> director Anthony Byrne said, "if we did start shooting in January (2021), we wouldn't finish until May or June and then it's another 6 months of editing". Series six premiered on 27 February 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Peaky Blinders season 6: Release date, time, trailers, plot and news |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/peaky-blinders-season-six-release-date/ |publisher=Radio Times |access-date=25 July 2023 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224205622/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/peaky-blinders-season-six-release-date/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2013, Murphy made his directorial debut with a music video for the band Money's single ''Hold Me Forever''. The video features dancers from the [[English National Ballet]] and was filmed at [[The Old Vic Theatre]] in London.<ref>{{cite web|title=Watch: 'Inception' Star Cillian Murphy's Directorial Debut, a 'Meh'-Worthy Ballet Music Video|date=3 July 2013|url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/watch-inception-star-cillian-murphys-directorial-debut-a-meh-worthy-ballet-music-video|publisher=Indiewire.com|access-date=3 July 2013|archive-date=6 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706104742/http://www.indiewire.com/article/watch-inception-star-cillian-murphys-directorial-debut-a-meh-worthy-ballet-music-video|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, Murphy starred in the drama ''[[Aloft (film)|Aloft]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3170561021|title=10 4 14|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|date=2 January 2014|access-date=4 March 2014|archive-date=17 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134951/https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-3170561021/10-4-14|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref> and [[Wally Pfister]]'s ''[[Transcendence (2014 film)|Transcendence]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-3163970211.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611074933/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-3163970211.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 June 2014|title=Essence – (24-12-2013)|newspaper=Daily News |location=Colombo |date=24 December 2013|access-date=4 March 2014}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Both of these garnered mostly unfavourable critic reviews according to the aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Aloft (2015)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aloft|work=Rotten Tomatoes|language=en|access-date=11 October 2020|archive-date=22 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222223954/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aloft|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Transcendence (2014)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transcendence_2014|work=Rotten Tomatoes|language=en|access-date=11 October 2020|archive-date=29 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129230602/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transcendence_2014/|url-status=live}}</ref> That same year, Murphy reunited with Enda Walsh in the play ''[[Ballyturk]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clapp |first=Susannah |author-link=Susannah Clapp |title=Ballyturk review – frenzied, incessant, sententious |work=Stage reviews |publisher=[[The Guardian]] |date=21 September 2014 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/sep/21/ballyturk-lyttelton-review-enda-walsh-frenzied-incessant-sententious |access-date=7 October 2014 |archive-date=14 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014091417/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/sep/21/ballyturk-lyttelton-review-enda-walsh-frenzied-incessant-sententious |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=World Premiere: 'I thought we knew everything there was to know.' |publisher=Galway International Arts Festival |date=16 July 2014 |url=http://www.giaf.ie/events/view/ballyturk |access-date=7 October 2014 |archive-date=23 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523065245/http://www.giaf.ie/events/view/ballyturk |url-status=live }}</ref> He starred in [[Ron Howard]]'s 2015 film ''[[In the Heart of the Sea (film)|In the Heart of the Sea]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cillian Murphy Headed To The Heart Of The Sea|url=https://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=37880|work=Empire|access-date=21 June 2013|archive-date=1 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101093916/http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=37880|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, he contributed spoken vocals to the tracks "8:58" and "The Clock" from [[Paul Hartnoll]]'s album ''[[8:58]]''. The two previously met while Hartnoll was scoring the second season of ''Peaky Blinders''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cillian Murphy Stars in "The Clock" Video From Paul Hartnoll (Ex-Orbital)|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/58664-cillian-murphy-stars-in-the-clock-video-from-paul-hartnoll-ex-orbital/|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=23 November 2017|date=2 March 2015|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042737/https://pitchfork.com/news/58664-cillian-murphy-stars-in-the-clock-video-from-paul-hartnoll-ex-orbital/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, Murphy starred in Ben Wheatley's ''[[Free Fire (film)|Free Fire]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cillian Murphy & Michael Smiley to Star in Ben Wheatley's Next Film {{!}} The Irish Film & Television Network|url=http://www.iftn.ie/actors/actorsnews/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4287685&tpl=archnews&force=1|access-date=23 March 2021|website=www.iftn.ie|archive-date=12 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612163636/http://www.iftn.ie/actors/actorsnews/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4287685&tpl=archnews&force=1|url-status=live}}</ref> and portrayed Czechoslovak [[World War II]] army soldier [[Jozef Gabčík]], who was involved in [[Operation Anthropoid]], the assassination of [[Reinhard Heydrich]] in ''[[Anthropoid (film)|Anthropoid]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hawksley|first1=Rupert|title=Nazi nail-biter Anthropoid shows Jamie Dornan has many more than 50 shades – review|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/09/08/nazi-nail-biter-anthropoid-shows-jamie-dornan-has-many-more-than/|website=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=24 November 2017|date=8 September 2016|archive-date=22 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122030339/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/09/08/nazi-nail-biter-anthropoid-shows-jamie-dornan-has-many-more-than/|url-status=live}}</ref> Rupert Hawksley of ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' believed Cillian's performance in ''Anthropoid'', but opined that he is "not asked to do an awful lot, other than smoke and look perplexed".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hawksley|first=Rupert|date=8 September 2016|title=Nazi nail-biter Anthropoid shows Jamie Dornan has many more than 50 shades – review|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/09/08/nazi-nail-biter-anthropoid-shows-jamie-dornan-has-many-more-than/|access-date=11 October 2020|issn=0307-1235|archive-date=29 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129033336/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/09/08/nazi-nail-biter-anthropoid-shows-jamie-dornan-has-many-more-than/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2017, Murphy played a [[Shell shock|shell-shocked]] army officer who is recovered from a wrecked ship in [[Christopher Nolan]]'s war film ''[[Dunkirk (2017 film)|Dunkirk]]'', which emerged as a critical and box-office success.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McMillan |first=Graeme |date=17 July 2017 |title='Dunkirk': What the Critics Are Saying |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/dunkirk-review-roundup-what-critics-are-saying-1021889 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170720161842/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/dunkirk-review-roundup-what-critics-are-saying-1021889 |archive-date=20 July 2017 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brace |first=Samuel |date=12 September 2017 |title=Dunkirk becomes the highest grossing WWII film of all time |url=https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/09/dunkirk-becomes-the-highest-grossing-wwii-film-of-all-time/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170913074431/https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/09/dunkirk-becomes-the-highest-grossing-wwii-film-of-all-time/ |archive-date=13 September 2017 |website=Flickering Myth}}</ref> He felt that his character, who is nameless and was credited simply as Shivering Soldier, was "representative of something experienced by thousands of soldiers, which is the profound emotional and psychological toll that war can have".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brightmore|first1=Dan|title=Cillian Murphy talks 'Dunkirk' and working with Christopher Nolan|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/cillian-murphy-dunkirk-interview-christopher-nolan-2112789|website=[[NME]]|access-date=23 November 2017|date=20 July 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033957/http://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/cillian-murphy-dunkirk-interview-christopher-nolan-2112789|url-status=live}}</ref> Murphy has also played a role in the feature film ''[[Anna (2019 feature film)|Anna]]'' as Miller, released in June 2019. His next release, ''[[A Quiet Place Part II]]'' (2021), stars Murphy as Emmett, a hardened survivor and old family friend of the Abbotts. Murphy's character reluctantly takes in the Abbotts following the events of [[A Quiet Place|the first film]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kroll |first=Katy |date=7 June 2021 |title=How Cillian Murphy Accidentally Changed The Way A Quiet Place Part II Was Filmed – Exclusive |url=https://www.looper.com/429805/how-cillian-murphy-accidentally-changed-the-way-a-quiet-place-part-ii-was-filmed-exclusive/ |work=Loop |access-date=9 July 2021 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190728/https://www.looper.com/429805/how-cillian-murphy-accidentally-changed-the-way-a-quiet-place-part-ii-was-filmed-exclusive/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Peter Bradshaw]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' praised his performance.<ref>{{Cite web|date=18 May 2021|title=A Quiet Place Part II review – Emily Blunt horror is something to scream about|url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/may/18/a-quiet-place-part-ii-review-emily-blunt-horror-is-a-something-to-scream-about|access-date=7 June 2021|magazine=[[The Guardian]]|archive-date=6 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606213526/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/may/18/a-quiet-place-part-ii-review-emily-blunt-horror-is-a-something-to-scream-about|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Cillian Murphy Press Conference The Party Berlinale 2017 02cr.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Murphy at a press conference for [[The Party (2017 film)|''The Party'']] at the [[Berlinale]] in 2017]]
Since 2020, Murphy has hosted ''Cillian Murphy's Limited Edition'', a limited-run radio series broadcasting on [[BBC Radio 6 Music]] in which he draws from his personal music collection and answers "reasonable questions" from listeners. As of 2024, three seasons of ''Limited Edition'' have been produced, totalling 28 episodes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 September 2023 |title=Cillian Murphy's Limited Edition |url=https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/proginfo/2023/38/cillian-murphys-limited-edition |access-date=2 June 2024 |archive-date=1 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241001020810/https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/proginfo/2023/38/cillian-murphys-limited-edition |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cillian Murphy's Limited Edition |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000nwdn |access-date=2 June 2024 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603010052/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000nwdn |url-status=live }}</ref>

Murphy portrayed [[J. Robert Oppenheimer]] in the biographical thriller ''[[Oppenheimer (film)|Oppenheimer]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keegan |first=Rebecca |date=14 July 2023 |title="This Can't Be Safe. It's Got to Have Bite": Christopher Nolan and Cast Unleash 'Oppenheimer' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/oppenheimer-christopher-nolan-cast-interview-film-1235535418/ |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US |archive-date=20 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720013003/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/oppenheimer-christopher-nolan-cast-interview-film-1235535418/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://deadline.com/2021/10/cillian-murphy-j-robert-oppenheimer-christopher-nolans-universal-film-july-2023-1234852888/ | title = Cillian Murphy Confirmed to Star As J. Robert Oppenheimer In Christopher Nolan's Next Film At Universal, Film Will Bow in July 2023 | first = Justin | last = Knoll | date = 8 October 2021 | access-date = 8 October 2021 | work = [[Deadline Hollywood]] | archive-date = 8 October 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211008180121/https://deadline.com/2021/10/cillian-murphy-j-robert-oppenheimer-christopher-nolans-universal-film-july-2023-1234852888/ | url-status = live }}</ref> The film marks the sixth collaboration between Nolan and Murphy, and the first starring Murphy as the lead. To prepare for the role, Murphy lost a significant amount of weight to match Oppenheimer's near-emaciated appearance, extensively researched Oppenheimer's life and took inspiration from [[David Bowie]]'s appearance in the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cumming |first=Ed |date=20 February 2022 |title='It's the end of a big adventure': Cillian Murphy bids farewell to ''Peaky Blinders'' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/20/its-the-end-of-a-big-adventure-cillian-murphy-bids-farewell-to-peaky-blinders |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220080953/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/20/its-the-end-of-a-big-adventure-cillian-murphy-bids-farewell-to-peaky-blinders |archive-date=20 February 2022 |access-date=21 February 2022 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Released in 2023, the film grossed over $975 million worldwide and garnered positive reviews from critics.<ref>{{Cite The Numbers|id=Oppenheimer-(2023)|title=Oppenheimer|access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Couch |first=Aaron |date=11 July 2023 |title='Oppenheimer': First Reactions After Paris Premiere |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oppenheimer-first-reactions-christopher-nolan-movie-1235533586/ |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US |archive-date=22 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722225356/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oppenheimer-first-reactions-christopher-nolan-movie-1235533586/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Murphy's performance was lauded, with ''Empire'''s Dan Jolin writing: "At the film's pulsing nucleus is Murphy as Oppenheimer, and he is compelling throughout."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jolin |first=Dan |date=19 July 2023 |title=Oppenheimer Review |work=Empire |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/oppenheimer/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721135011/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/oppenheimer/ |archive-date=21 July 2023}}</ref> For his performance, he won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama]], [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role]], [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role]], and [[Academy Award for Best Actor]].<ref name="oppenheimer">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oscars-best-actor-cillian-murphy-oppenheimer-1235848109/|title=Oscars: 'Oppenheimer' Star Cillian Murphy Dedicates Best Actor Win to "Peacemakers Everywhere"|last=Verhoeven|first=Beatrice|date=10 March 2024|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=11 March 2024|archive-date=11 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311151458/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oscars-best-actor-cillian-murphy-oppenheimer-1235848109/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Murphy launched the independent production company Big Things Films with [[Alan Moloney]] in February 2024.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Tartaglione |first=Nancy |date=8 February 2024 |title=Cillian Murphy Sets Next Movie: Will Star In & Produce 'Steve' For Netflix As He & Alan Moloney Officially Launch Production Company Big Things Films – Q&A |url=https://deadline.com/2024/02/cillian-murphy-cast-producing-netflix-steve-big-things-films-1235819095/ |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=8 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208183935/https://deadline.com/2024/02/cillian-murphy-cast-producing-netflix-steve-big-things-films-1235819095/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He produced and starred in the historical drama ''[[Small Things like These (film)|Small Things like These]]'', which opened the [[74th Berlin International Film Festival]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shafer |first=Ellise |date=18 January 2024 |title=Cillian Murphy Historical Drama 'Small Things Like These' to Open Berlin Film Festival |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/festivals/cillian-murphy-small-things-like-these-open-berlin-film-festival-1235876149/ |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=1 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201151323/https://variety.com/2024/film/festivals/cillian-murphy-small-things-like-these-open-berlin-film-festival-1235876149/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the upcoming drama film ''[[Steve (upcoming film)|Steve]]'', through a collaboration with [[Netflix]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tartaglione |first=Nancy |date=3 July 2024 |title=Cillian Murphy-Led 'Steve' Wraps Production With Jay Lycurgo Co-Starring: First-Look Set Photo |url=https://deadline.com/2024/07/cillian-murphy-steve-jay-lycurgo-cast-first-look-photo-netflix-1236000616/ |access-date=4 July 2024 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=4 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704093733/https://deadline.com/2024/07/cillian-murphy-steve-jay-lycurgo-cast-first-look-photo-netflix-1236000616/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Murphy will also star in and executive produce two sequels to ''28 Days Later'', titled ''[[28 Years Later]]'' and ''[[28 Years Later: The Bone Temple]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kit |first=Borys |date=31 January 2024 |title=Zombie Sequel '28 Years Later' Lands at Sony (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/28-years-later-lands-home-sony-1235804926/ |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=6 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206184230/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/28-years-later-lands-home-sony-1235804926/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bolt |first=Neil |title=28 Years Later Sequel Title Revealed in Copyright Filing |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1778113-28-years-later-sequel-name-the-bone-temple |website=[[ComingSoon.net]] |access-date=24 June 2024 |date=24 June 2024}}</ref> Additionally, Murphy will reprise his role as Shelby in the film ''[[The Immortal Man (film)|The Immortal Man]]'', which will serve as a continuation of the ''Peaky Blinders'' series.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 October 2024 |title=Filming for movie The Immortal Man begins at former Pilks site |url=https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/24639078.filming-peaky-blinders-immortal-man-begins-st-helens/ |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=St Helens Star}}</ref>