Cillian Murphy has bagged an award for Best Leading Actor for his role in Oppenheimer at the 2024 Baftas.
The Douglas native was up against Bradley Cooper for Maestro, Colman Domingo in Rustin, Paul Giamatti for his role in The Holdovers, fellow Irishman Barry Keoghan for his work in Saltburn and Teo Yoo for Past Lives.
Cillian was already tipped to win the prestigious award with Ladbrokes revealing that the Cork actor, who is already the 4/11 clear front-runner for the Best Actor Oscar, was coming in at odds of just 1/6 to win.
Accepting the trophy he said: “Oh boy, holy moly, thank you very, very much Bafta.”
He paid tribute to “the most dynamic, kindest producer-director partnership in Hollywood: Chris Nolan and Emma Thomas, thank you for seeing something in me that I probably didn’t see in myself.”
The Irish actor said to Nolan: “Thanks for always pushing me and demanding excellence because that is what you deliver time and time again.” He also acknowledged his “fellow nominees and my Oppenhomies”, adding: “I know it’s a cliche to say, but I’m in awe of you.”
He said J Robert Oppenheimer, known as the father of the atomic bomb, was a “colossally knotty character”, adding: “We have a space to debate and interrogate and investigate that complexity and it’s a privilege to be a part of this community with you all.”
Christopher Nolan also won the Best Director Bafta for Oppenheimer, his epic tale of how the nuclear bomb was created.
Before accepting the award from actor Hugh Grant, Nolan hugged his Irish star Cillian Murphy who played physicist J Robert Oppenheimer. Nolan joked that his brother “beat him up here” by being in a chorus of production 40 years ago.
Cillian Murphy attends the 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on February 18, 2024 in London, England.
Meanwhile, Poor Things, produced and developed by Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe and the team at Dublin-based Element Pictures, won five awards at the BAFTAs tonight including Best Actress for Emma Stone, Best Special Visual Effects, Best Makeup and Hair, and Best Production Design.
Poor Things has already won two Golden Globes and a host of other awards including a Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and the Golden Lion at Venice International Film Festival.
Poor Thingshas also received 11 Academy Award nominations, which makes it the second most nominated film at this year’s Academy Awards, and the most nominated Irish-produced film at the Academy Awards in the history of the awards.
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