Oppenheimer‘s Cillian Murphy has become the first Irish-born star to win the Oscar for Best Actor at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, with Poor Things, produced by the Dublin-based Element Pictures, winning in four categories, including Best Actress for Emma Stone.
With Oppenheimer the big winner on the night with seven Academy Awards, Murphy accepted his Oscar to a standing ovation.
“I’m a little bit overwhelmed,” the Cork man said on stage in the Dolby Theatre.
He thanked Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan, “every single crew member, every single cast member – you carried me through”, and also saluted his fellow nominees, saying: “I’m in awe of you guys.”
Murphy then thanked his parents, Brendan and Mary; “Yvonne McGuinness, my partner in life and art”, and “my two boys, Malachy and Aran, who are sitting up there – I love you so much.”
“I’m a very proud Irishman standing here tonight,” said Murphy.
He concluded: “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, so I would really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere.
“Go raibh míle maith agat.”
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD was among those congratulating Murphy on his historic win, saying in a statement: “This award for his title role in Oppenheimer is the pinnacle of any actor’s career and a fitting recognition of the immense talent of Cillian Murphy.
“Long a favourite of Irish audiences on stage and screen, he has since shown himself to be a master of his craft and has secured his place among the world’s greatest actors. This Oscar success is no more than he deserves, and I wish him every success in all his future films.”
Along with Emma Stone’s Best Actress triumph, Poor Things won the Oscars for Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, and Costume Design – a record haul for an Irish-produced film that was shortlisted in 11 categories.
Irish producers Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe from Element Pictures had been nominated for Best Picture for their work on Poor Things and Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan was also shortlisted.
Minister Martin also congratulated the cast and crew of Poor Things, saying: “2023 was a hugely successful year for Irish film production and Irish talent. I hope this is a starting point for more success and acclaim for the large pool of talent existing in the Irish film industry.”
Oppenheimer was the biggest winner on the night with seven Oscars: Best Picture, Director (Christopher Nolan), Actor (Cillian Murphy), Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr), Cinematography (Hoyte Van Hoytema), Original Score (Ludwig Göransson), and Editing (Jennifer Lame).
The 96th Academy Awards will be broadcast on RTÉ2 on Monday from 9:35pm. The ceremony will be available on demand on the RTÉ Player.
The winners:
Actor in a Leading Role
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Actress in a Leading Role
Emma Stone – Poor Things
Best Picture
Oppenheimer, Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, and Christopher Nolan, producers
Directing
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Original Song
What I Was Made For – Barbie, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Original Score
Oppenheimer, Ludwig Göransson
Sound
The Zone of Interest, Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn
Live Action Short Film
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Wes Anderson, and Steven Rales
Cinematography
Oppenheimer, Hoyte Van Hoytema
Documentary Feature Film
20 Days in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, and Raney Aronson-Rath
Documentary Short Film
The Last Repair Shop, Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers
Film Editing
Oppenheimer, Jennifer Lame
Visual Effects
Godzilla Minus One, Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi, and Tatsuji Nojima
Actor in a Supporting Role
Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer
International Feature Film
The Zone of Interest, United Kingdom, directed by Jonathan Glazer
Costume Design
Poor Things, Holly Waddington
Production Design
Poor Things, James Price, Shona Heath, and Zsuzsa Mihalek
Makeup and Hairstyling
Poor Things, Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier, and Josh Weston
Adapted Screenplay
American Fiction, Cord Jefferson
Original Screenplay
Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet, Arthur Harari
Animated Feature Film
The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki, and Toshio Suzuki
Animated Short Film
War is Over! Inspired by the music of John & Yoko, Dave Mullins and Brad Booker
Actress in a Supporting Role
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdover
