Cillian Murphy has broken his silence over Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey, stressing that he’s relieved about not joining the star-studded venture. Having been a regular in Nolan’s works since Batman Begins, Murphy, who led Nolan’s lone Oscar-winning venture, which also starred a plethora of A-listers, confessed to Variety that he’s excited to enjoy the movie as a fan.
I have ROMO: ‘Relief of missing out.’ No, I can’t wait to see it. If any director in the world could tackle ‘The Odyssey,’ it’s going to be Christopher Nolan
This isn’t a surprising revelation, as, like many actors of his stature, the Peaky Blinders star tends to be too critical of his own performances.
Cillian Murphy Largely Avoids Watching Himself Onscreen
It’s not uncommon for actors to avoid consuming their own work. While Murphy hasn’t completely refused to acknowledge his screen presence, more often than not, he avoids them, especially in cases when they’re not good.
In an interview with GQ, the actor elaborated on this sentiment, revealing that he hated watching himself in the acclaimed 2005 horror, Red Eye
| Movie | Rotten Tomatoes | IMDb |
| Red Eye | 80% | 6.4 |
Despite loving Rachel McAdams’ performance, the movie as a whole didn’t appeal to the actor, who described Red Eye as a schlocky B movie.
When I was a younger actor, I was really, really hard on everything that I was in. I hated watching myself. I hated looking at myself on screen. I remember when I saw it was like “Oh, that’s kind of a schlocky B movie. Rachel McAdams is excellent in it,”
This hasn’t always been the case, especially with his collaborations with Nolan, as the actor stressed Oppenheimer blew him away.
Cillian Murphy Loves Christopher Nolan Movies He’s Not In
Despite being overwhelmed by his performance in Oppenheimer, Murphy generally enjoys Nolan’s works that don’t feature the Peaky Blinders Star.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the actor said he prefers experiencing Nolan’s work as a part of the audience, which explains why he’s delighted to watch The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon in the lead.
I don’t mind, actually, because then it means I can go to the cinema and really enjoy it without looking at myslf, which I don’t like to do. So, I remember seeing Interstellar, you know I’m not in that one. But I really enjoyed it, so I win or lose either way.
With Nolan currently occupied with his Greek Epic, starring Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron, it might be a while before he reunites with his most trusted collaborator. As for Murphy fans out there, in addition to enjoying The Dark Knight director’s epic next year, fans can look forward to seeing Murphy return in the highly anticipated The Bone Temple and its subsequent follow-up.
What are your thoughts on Murphy’s stance on his works? Comment below!
The Odyssey will debut on July 17, 2026 (USA).