Cillian Murphy: Fame 'festishes everything'

Cillian Murphy thinks fame is "like commuting" and finds it "festishises everything".

The 'Oppenheimer' actor accepts public recognition is part of his job but believes the "best people" are those who act for the love of their work, rather than the trappings of success.

He told the new issue of Rolling Stone UK magazine: “Fame is like commuting. You have to commute to get to your destination.

"I think that’s the way the best people are: they’re not doing it for any other reason but love of the craft. They have a compulsion to make work, not to be famous or get attention.

“It can ruin experiences, because it fetishises everything: you can be walking down the street and someone takes a picture like this is a f****** event. It kind of destroys nuance and human behaviour, but that’s part and parcel of it."

But the 46-year-old actor - who lives in Dublin, Ireland, with wife Yvonne McGuinness and their two teenage sons - admitted he would be "intimidated and shaky" if he came face-to-face with an actor he admired.

He said: “Fame evaporates with regularity. I’m around here all the time and no one gives a f****** s***. Nobody cares. I go to the shop. It dissipates.

"But if… one of the guys from 'Succession' walked in here, I’d be all intimidated and shaky. When you’re confronted with someone you’ve invested a lot in, or you think is amazing, the encounter is strange."

And Cillian admitted he sometimes feels "a little sad" that he doesn't have the "charisma and swagger" of his most famous character, 'Peaky Blinders' Tommy Shelby, as he thinks he leaves fans feeling "underwhelmed" when they meet him.

He said: “I think it’s the Tommy Shelby thing. People expect this mysterious, swaggering… it’s just a character.

"I do feel people are a little bit underwhelmed. That’s fine, it means I’m doing my job.

"'Peaky' fans are amazing. But sometimes I feel a little sad that I can’t provide — like — that charisma and swagger. He couldn’t be further from me.”