Cillian Murphy returns with 'Small Things Like These' after 'fever dream' of Oscar win

Movie fans know that Cillian Murphy joined an elite club early this year when he won best actor at the Oscars for his portrayal of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's three-hour best picture winner, "Oppenheimer."

But that rare-air reality still doesn't compute for the quiet, introspective Irish actor, who after winning the golden statue simply went back to work.

"I just straightaway went to make a movie, and then I went on a holiday," says Murphy, 48, who returns to the big screen in "Small Things Like These" (in theaters Friday).

So wait, that Oscar, tell us it's not simply serving as a door stop in Murphy's home, which he shares with his wife, Yvonne McGuinness, and their two teenage sons.

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"No, no, no," he says with a quiet laugh. "It's on a shelf, nothing special."

Not that Murphy dismisses Hollywood's highest cinematic honor. Nor is this a case of false modesty. It's more that the accolade still doesn't seem real.

"It was a huge thing, a fever dream, really. I don't think I've properly thought deeply about it or processed it in any way. Because it seems like ..." Murphy pauses. "Well, even when you just said it there, 'Oscar winner,' it's like, 'What? Who?'"

Fans of Murphy's intense work will be pleased to know two new movies are forthcoming, with a third − the long-awaited film based on the BBC crime series "Peaky Blinders" − in production now and expected out next year.

First up is Belgian director Tim Mielants' take on Claire Keegan's Orwell Prize-winning novel "Small Things Like These," which explores the scandalous treatment of pregnant Irish girls by the Catholic Church. That will be followed by "Steve," a day-in-the-life story of a reform school headmaster, again directed by Mielants, who first worked with Murphy in "Peaky Blinders" on television.

"It's important for me to finish that part of my life, that character," Murphy says of his "Peaky" persona, ambitious crime boss Tommy Shelby, who rules Birmingham's underworld in the aftermath of World War I. The film is being directed by "Peaky" series veteran Tom Harper, and will also feature fellow Irish star Barry Keoghan, who was Oscar-nominated for his role in "The Banshees of Inisherin."

Unlike many of his peers, Murphy says he has no interest in directing, but rather prefers to seek out "the best stories I can possibly find. I'm bad at (career) strategy and planning, so it's really just about those great tales, but they're hard to find."

He insists his Oscar-winner status hasn't changed his fortunes much, nor has it made him even pickier about the roles he takes on.

"I've always been picky," he says with a laugh. "But really it's less about being picky and more about being patient. You just have to be. If you want to work all the time, you probably could, sure. But you want to do good work. You don't want people to have, like, Cillian fatigue."

Director Nolan is unlikely to develop such an aversion. In the past two decades, he has shot six movies with Murphy: three Batman films, plus "Inception," "Dunkirk" and "Oppenheimer," which finally allowed Murphy to take center stage. Is there another Nolan-Murphy collaboration in the works?

"That's certainly Chris' prerogative, not mine," Murphy says with apparent reverence. "I'd love it, of course. Working with Chris changed my life. It's a very special partnership we have, and I think he's one of the greatest filmmakers in the world."

Then, Murphy shrugs and smiles. "But everything Chris does is super-secret, so I don't have any information."

Given the serious nature of most of Murphy's roles, is there a chance he might pop up in something a bit farther afield, like a comedy or a Marvel action film?

"I don't know," he says, which sounds more like a "No."

"The films I make are the kinds I want to see in the cinema," he says. Then he thinks again. "But I suppose it would be foolish to rule anything out. You never know what's going to turn up, do you?"

Either way, count on Murphy to keep at it.

"I don't think you ever perfect this thing called acting," he says. "A famous director once said it takes 30 years for an actor to figure out what they're doing, and I've been doing it for 29 years. So I'm nearly there. But the key for me is to stay constantly curious. Because you're always learning."