Cillian Murphy says his best mates still slag him off after Oscars win: “In Ireland it’s one of the deepest forms of affection”

The actor won the Best Actor Academy Award earlier this year for his role in Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'

Cillian Murphy has said his best mates still slag him off despite winning an Oscar for his role in Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer.

The actor won the Best Actor Academy Award earlier this year for his performance in the movie, which took home seven gongs in total including Best Picture.

Despite that, he said at the ceremony itself both his brother and his best friend still mocked him.

Speaking in a new interview with The Telegraph, he said: “There was a lot of healthy slagging [off]. In Ireland, slagging is one of the deepest forms of affection. On the day of the Oscars, my best friend and brother flew out as a surprise. They did an intense amount of slagging. It’s a fair target.”

He also said that despite doing endless interviews and being on the red carpet, he decided to “enjoy” it.

“If you went into that with any cynicism or ­feeling like you didn’t want to be there, it would be very unpleasant. I chose to enjoy it, my family were there, we were surrounded by lovely people, [co-stars] Emily [Blunt] and [Robert] Downey [Jr].

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“It was amazing meeting all these amazing artists socially, all the time. Casually bumping into Martin Scorsese, people whose work has changed your life, and being reassured that everyone finds it just as bizarre.”

His comments echo an interview he recently did with the The Sunday Times in which he admitted that winning an Oscar hasn’t really changed things for him.

“Genuinely, honestly, no,” he admitted, though expressed hope that it helps to get more projects under his production company Big Things Films made.

“But if it helps in any way [to produce more Big Things Films work], that’s great. If it can help getting the stories told, brilliant.”

He is currently appearing in the movie Small Things Like These and is keeping busy with a return to Peaky Blinders in the upcoming Netflix film The Immortal Man.

The movie, which is being directed by Tom Harper and has begun filming, will be set during World War II and has been described as an “epic continuation of the multi-award-winning gangster saga”.

As well as the return of Murphy as Tommy Shelby and Stephen Graham as Hayden Stagg, new cast additions include Rebecca Ferguson, Barry Keoghan, Tim Roth, Sophie Rundle, Ned Dennehy, Packy Lee, Ian Peck and Jay Lycurgo.

Small Things Like These is out in UK cinemas on November 1 and in the US a week later.