In an interview with Deadline, Cillian Murphy opened up about his powerful new role in Steve, a Netflix drama that many are calling 2025’s most heartbreaking movie. Based on Max Porter’s novel Shy, the film follows a teacher trying to guide a group of troubled kids while also battling his own emotions.
Now, while viewers claimed to be heartbroken by the story, Murphy noted that this role hit so close to home for him that it felt all real and required no preparation as an actor. He revealed that his parents, grandparents, and even aunts and uncles were all teachers, so he deeply understands the world of education and the struggles behind it.
Both my parents are teachers… My grandfather is a headmaster. All my aunts and uncles are teachers. So I know that inside-out of that world. This is a more extreme world, clearly, because you’re dealing with these very volatile and unpredictable, and damaged kids.
But having said that, I kind of knew it, but I couldn’t have done it without knowing the people like the way I know these guys so well and trust them so much, because there was really no acting involved.
Cillian Murphy said that Steve felt so real that there was “no acting involved”; it was all about reacting and existing in the moment. For him, the emotions, relationships, and atmosphere on set felt so real and natural that he didn’t have to force or pretend anything. And that experience was both scary and thrilling, leaving him in a state of constant anxiety throughout the two months of filming.
Cillian Murphy Felt Steve Was His Most “Exposing and Terrifying” Character
We all know and appreciate Cillian Murphy for his complex characters like Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders and his titular role in Oppenheimer. But while fans love his other roles, the actor mentioned that his role in Steve
During his Deadline interview, Cillian Murphy revealed that Steve was written especially for him, by author Max Porter, which made it feel different from any other project. And on top of that, since the story was so personal and close to real life, it didn’t feel like acting for Murphy. It felt like showing a raw version of himself.
Like Max said, we talk all the time, and we get into it — we don’t do small talk, we go straight into it. I gotta say, it was one of the most kind of exposing and terrifying characters I’ve ever played, because it was written bespoke for me by Max, but also had, I think, quite a lot of him in there…
There’s elements that I feel like, you know, there was no accent… Max knows me so well at this stage, he would kind of write for the way I go on and talk. So, it was quite terrifying, because there’s no real prep needed.
Murphy said he and Max Porter talked a lot while shaping the character, often skipping small talk and diving straight into deep conversations about the story and emotions. This close creative bond meant that the role was tailored around Murphy’s natural way of speaking and behaving. As a result, he didn’t have to put on an accent or hide behind a character.
Throughout the film, he just had to be himself, which made it even scarier. For Murphy, playing Steve was a deeply emotional process. He described it as “exposing and terrifying” because it left him feeling vulnerable. There was no big transformation or disguise, just honesty and raw emotion that pushed him out of his comfort zone.
Cillian Murphy Reflects on How Steve Mirrors the Chaos of Adolescence
Deeper into the interview, Cillian Murphy shared how Steve connects to real-life struggles that young people face. Addressing that while the movie is set in the 1990s, its themes still feel very relevant today, Murphy explained that it’s because the issues shown in the film are things that never truly go away.
Considering how Steve deals with triggering topics like loneliness, anger, and confusion among teenagers, Cillian Murphy noted that no matter which era it is, whether it’s the 1990s or 2025, young people still go through pain and feel misunderstood. And that’s what made the Netflix drama so gripping and relatable.
The table contains basic details on Steve:
The actor mentioned that even without social media, kids in the 90s faced the same emotional battles as teens today. They felt lost, hurt, or alienated, just like many do now. So, Murphy explained that what’s missing isn’t technology but a real human connection. Kids still need face-to-face conversations, care, and understanding to feel seen and supported.
It never goes away. That stuff just exists, right? But like you mentioned Adolescence, I think that that is sort of the landmark piece of television, I think, it’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. And definitely there’s a sort of a thematic crossover to a degree, but I think it was very smart of Max to set it in the ’90s, to show this sh*t still exists.
People are still, kids are still wounded and vulnerable, and alienated without social media. You know, they still need human interaction. They still need face-to-face connection to get to them. You know what I mean, that’s just perennial, that just exists.
Further praising Owen Cooper’s Netflix show Adolescence, and calling it one of the greatest pieces of television he’s ever seen, Cillian Murphy said both Steve and Adolescence explore how growing up can be messy and painful. Considering how both movies show teenagers struggling with their emotions and making rash decisions, Murphy said these problems are timeless.
Share your opinions on Steve and the themes explored in the film.
Steve is currently streaming in the US on Netflix.
