Cillian Murphy Explains Why He’s ‘Not a Big Fan of Rehearsals’

Christian Zilko

15 February 2024 at 11:30 am·2-min read

Cillian Murphy’s extensive preparation for his titular role in “Oppenheimer,” which required him to learn thousands of words in Dutch, earned him the admiration of his co-stars and has fueled his Oscar campaign for Best Actor. But on the set of his new film “Small Things Like These,” on which he also serves as an executive producer, the Irish actor opted to take a more relaxed approach.

During a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter while promoting the movie at the Berlin International Film Festival, Murphy explained that his role as a producer allowed him to facilitate the kind of spontaneous creative process that he prefers over extensive rehearsals.

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“I’m not a big fan of rehearsals,” Murphy said. “It was quite nice being producer on this in that, in tandem with [director] Tim [Mielants], we could work out where we wanted to do this. Because we had a lot of kids in the movie and a lot of nonactors in the movie, it’s best to just save it for the set.”

Murphy went on to say that the unique dynamics on set of the Catholic Church abuse drama, including his decades-spanning friendship with co-lead Eileen Walsh, prompted him to prioritize organic relationships between actors over detailed preparation.

“Myself and Eileen Walsh, who plays my wife, we have been friends for 27 years. I did my first ever job with her. We didn’t really need to rehearse because Tim said when you put the camera on us, you could just feel the history between us because we’ve known each other that long,” he said. “With our five daughters, we didn’t rehearse at all. We hung out with them and we made cakes together. But many times in their scenes, Tim just ran the camera, didn’t say ‘action.’ They’re really just behaving naturally. I think that’s very important because for young actors, at times, it can be intimidating if you say ‘action’ and ‘cut.’ It really felt like a little family being in that tiny little kitchen and I’m really proud of how natural those things are. That’s because on the day, we didn’t overthink it.”

“Small Things Like These” will open the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival on Thursday evening. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.

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