To Oscar-Winner Cillian Murphy, A Message From Enda Walsh: "So Ridiculously Proud Of Him"

Cillian Murphy began his career in 1996 with Enda Walshs play Disco Pigs

Irish actor Cillian Murphy won his first Oscar by clinching the trophy for Best Actor for his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer in the movie Oppenheimer. While congratulations are pouring in from all corners of the world, playwright Enda Walsh has also shared a special message for the actor, who is also a dear friend, on his Instagram profile. In the picture shared by Enda, we can spot the winning picture of Cillian with the text, “Cillian Murphy accepts Oscar for Best Actor, his first nomination and win.” In his heartfelt note, Enda wrote, “Almost 28 years ago Cillian's parents asked me did they think he had a future in acting. What I should have said was that - yes he will most likely win an Oscar and every other major acting award in a film awards season - but I said that I didn't know what would happen. But over the years I've watched him become the most extraordinary collaborator - a creative force - who year by year just keeps on getting better. I am so ridiculously proud of him.” He also added a red heart emoji to the caption.

Enda Walsh's post for Cillian Murphy comes as no surprise, considering their long standing collaborations and friendship. Cillian began his career in 1996 with Enda's play Disco Pigs, portraying a volatile Cork teenager. He later reprised the role in the 2001 screen adaptation. Since then, the duo has worked together on multiple occasions. In 2011, Cillian starred in Enda's stage monodrama Misterman, and three years later, he appeared in another one of Enda's plays, Ballyturk. Additionally, Cillian was involved in Grief Is The Thing With Feathers, a play adapted and directed by Enda Walsh in 2018. Apart from all these projects, Cillian's most recent film, Small Things Like These, was directed by Tim Mielants and adapted by Enda Walsh from the 2021 novel of the same name by Claire Keegan.