Cillian Murphy on why he continues to focus on indie films after Oscar win

Cillian Murphy, the reserved and modest Irish actor, shared his thoughts on stepping back from whirlwind of Hollywood to focus on smaller film projects.

Following the success of blockbuster Oppenheimer and an Oscar win for the role, the Wind that Shakes the Barley actor continued his career with films such as Small Things Like These and Steve.

In an interview with Variety, when asked if these choices were a "deliberate reaction to Hollywood," Murphy replied, "No, not in any way."

The Peaky Blinders star explained, "With Small Things Like These, the script was written and ready to go before I did Oppenheimer, and then Steve was ready and waiting to go until I'd finished."

He added that Steve already had its script written and financing settled too, it only just needed him  to "finish the awards run with Oppenheimer."

Murphy said that working on such projects, even after global success, is due to "30-year evolution of taste and experience and trying to refine what the stories you actually want to tell are."

While he is "proud" and "grateful" for the "unprecedented success" of the 2023 hit, he admitted that his preference for the indie films and the kind of stories he wants to tell "haven't been changed by that."

The official synopsis of Small Things Like These stated, "In 1985 coal merchant Bill Furlong uncovers disturbing secrets in a small Irish town that's controlled by the Roman Catholic Church." The film was released last year in November.

Meanwhile, Steve followed, "A head teacher at a reform school struggles to keep his students in line while also battling with his own mental health issues."

Steve was released on September 19 on Netflix.