“A true movie star” – Cillian Murphy heaps praise on fellow Irish actor Paul Mescal

"It’s a good time to be an Irish actor, it seems."

Cillian Murphy has heaped praise on one Irish actor in particular, calling them a "true movie star", while also delving into how he reacts to fans asking him for a photo. In a recent British GQ cover profile, the Oppenheimer star took his interviewer around Dublin and its surrounding areas. At one point in the conversation, the two stopped in front of Trinity College and discussed Normal People, and more importantly Paul Mescal, who Murphy called "the real deal."

"A real movie star" - Cillian Murphy full of praise for fellow Irish actor

Speaking about his fellow Irish actor and Oscar nominee, Murphy said: "He is the real deal. He is like a true movie star.

"They don’t come along that often. But, luckily, they seem mostly to come from Ireland."

On the topic of Ireland's mammoth presence on the big screen in recent times, with Murphy, Mescal, Andrew Scott and Barry Keoghan all names on everyone's lips right now, the Cork man added: "It’s a good time to be an Irish actor, it seems."

For #CillianMurphy's cover, he talks to GQ about the Peaky Blinders film, Paul Mescal (important) and pursuing an insular life.

Read the cover profile: https://t.co/gcLZmMYAIl pic.twitter.com/G9OiCvH0vC — British GQ (@BritishGQ) February 13, 2024

The long-ranging interview focused on Murphy's home life in Ireland, where he lives with his wife, Yvonne McGuinness and their two sons, Aran and Malachy. Throughout his walk through Ireland's capital with the interviewer, Murphy was approached by someone asking for a photo.