WATCH: Cillian Murphy's charming acceptance speech after Golden Globe Best Actor win for Oppenheimer

Martin Macdonald - 8 January 2024, 09:50 Share

Cillian Murphy won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture on Sunday evening for his performance in Oppenheimer.

The Irishman was up against stiff competition from fellow stars Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon), Colman Domingo (Rustin), Barry Keoghan (Saltburn) and Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers).

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Oppenheimer received critical acclaim upon its release and earned nearly a billion dollars at the box office.

A lot of the praise was sent Murphy's way for his performance in the movie:

"Oppenheimer left me stunned: a character study on the grandest scale, with a sublime central performance by Cillian Murphy. An epic historical drama but with a distinctly Nolan sensibility: the tension, structure, sense of scale, startling sound design, remarkable visuals. Wow." - Matt Maytum of Total Film.

"Oppenheimer is powerful stuff. Cillian Murphy’s flawless awards-worthy performance is next level. Every player in this rich ensemble cast is at the top of their game." - Simon Thompson of Forbes and Variety.

"Oppenheimer is mythic, massive, and a masterful work from Christopher Nolan. Murphy & (Robert) Downey Jr. deliver career best performances in what is the most important movie of the decade." - Anthony Gagliardi of The Movie podcast.

Cillian Murphy Golden Globes acceptance speech

Upon winning the award, Murphy took to the stage and said:

“I knew the first time I walked on a Christopher Nolan set that it was different. I could tell by the level of rigour, the level of focus, the level of dedication, the complete lack of any seating options for actors that I was in the hands of the visionary director and master!

“I want to thank Chris and Emma (Thomas) for having the faith in me for 20 years. Thanks so much. One of the most beautiful and vulnerable things about being an actor is that you can’t do it on your own, really. We had the most incredible ensemble cast in this movie. It was magic and some of them are here today. Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Gary Oldman. Thank you for carrying me and holding me through this movie.”