He may be a father of two to his sons, Aran and Malachy, but Hollywood actor Cillian Murphy’s fatherly instincts don’t stop when he gets to work.
In fact, he asked his on-screen son, Barry Keoghan, to star as Duke, Tommy Shelby’s illegitimate son in the upcoming Peaky Blinders film An Immortal Man on Father’s Day.
While discussing the new project, Saltburn star Barry, 33, told Fleur East and Will Best on Hits Radio that after wishing Cillian a “Happy Father’s Day,” he received a job offer.
“‘Every actor needs to text their favourite older actor Happy Father’s Day! I’ve always kept in touch with him, and I text him Happy Father’s Day, and he said, ‘Do you want to play my son Duke?’
“That’s how it happened, and it was a no-brainer. I got the script and read it, and that’s what screamed to me was that dynamic of emulating Tommy Shelby and trying to be Tommy Shelby and then seeing just a boy cry out for his father…”
© Getty ImagesThe pair previously worked together on the 2017 film Dunkirk, and Cillian previously described Barry as “electric” while talking about the upcoming film.
The Oppenheimer actor told BBC Radio 6: “You just put a camera on him and he’s instantly interesting. He’s got that real kind of unpredictability, but also that wonderful vulnerability. And, you know, he looks great in a three-piece suit and a cap.”
‘No slacking’ for Cillian
Barry’s sweet revelation came after he opened up about Cillian’s athlete-like approach to filming.
The Batman actor told The Mirror: “There is no slacking for him. And it’s not in an intimidating way. It is in a way that he does not settle for less. He has an athlete’s approach to it. Cillian is such a legend. He does not say anything, but you feel it.”
© NetflixTalking about the moment he first pulled his Peaky Blinders costume on, Barry said: “He (Cillian) was more excited to see me in my costume. He was like, ‘Ah man, look at you.'”
Family man Cillian
While Cillian and his beautiful wife, Yvonne McGuinness, keep their family live largely out of the spotlight. Cillian’s aforementioned sons, Aran and Malachy, are both very much into acting and have on occasion been photographed accompanying their famous father on the red carpet.
In fact, Aran got glowing feedback from one of Cillian’s friends who said he was even better than his famous father when it came to his acting chops.
© Getty ImagesHe told the Telegraph in 2024: “One of my friends saw him in a play and said, ‘Cill, he’s better looking, he’s a better actor, he’s younger, and he’s taller. You’re [expletive].’ We’ll see. People are smart enough to judge you on your talent. There’s no way any kid will get by on nepotism alone. Everyone in this business gets found out unless they’re good, and he’s a good little actor.
“But we’re not putting him under any pressure. If he decides to become a musician or a poet or a farmer or a chef, that’s up to him. It may not be the thing he does, but he’s really good at it,’ Cillian said of his son’s budding career in an interview with The Telegraph in 2024.
Aran is already making a name for himself and is set to appear in an adaptation of Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, which is directed by Taika Waititi.
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