KUALA LUMPUR – As expected, frontrunner Cillian Murphy wins the best actor Oscar for his titular and captivating role as the brilliant yet tortured physicist in Oppenheimer.
This puts a capstone on the actor’s decades of collaboration with director Christopher Nolan, having acted in five of his movies.
The Irish actor bested four American rivals – Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), Bradley Cooper (Maestro) and Colman Domingo (Rustin).
Murphy was a singular presence in the film’s marketing campaign, with many of its posters consisting solely of images of his face.
“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,” he said during his acceptance speech while receiving a standing ovation in the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
“So I would really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers, everywhere.”
Cillian Murphy’s acceptance speech after winning Best Actor at the #Oscars pic.twitter.com/7TUQ4H5XZ8
— Film Devotion (@FilmDevotion) March 11, 2024
It was a spectacular awards season for 47-year-old Murphy, winning a Golden Globe, a Bafta, among others for his role.
His career already included roles in epics like Nolan’s Dunkirk, but he is most known as gangland boss Tommy Shelby, from the acclaimed streaming series Peaky Blinders.
Following Murphy’s win, Nolan bagged the Academy Award for best director for the same film – the first of his incredibly successful career.
Christopher Nolan wins Best Director at the 2024 #Oscars for #Oppenheimer pic.twitter.com/bn4dxdAmw3
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 11, 2024
The British-American filmmaker defeated Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon), Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) and Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall) for the golden statuette.
Nolan thanked the cast and crew, especially his wife and producer, Emma Thomas.
He added that the film medium is only just over 100 years old but he wanted the Academy to “know you think I’m a meaningful part of it means the world to me”.
Although this is not his first Oscar nomination, Nolan was a strong favourite after winning best director in the Golden Globes, Bafta, Critics Choice award and Directors Guild of America.
Oppenheimer, which Nolan also produced and wrote, is about nuclear scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who shepherded the development of the atomic bomb during World War Two.
Released at the same time as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and spawning the hashtag #Barbenheimer, Oppenheimer has raked in at least US$960.6 million, making it the highest-grossing biographical drama in history. – March 11, 2024