Golden Globes 2024: Cillian Murphy wins ‘Best Male Actor’ for ‘Oppenheimer’
It may have taken him until his sixth collaboration with Christopher Nolan to play a lead role, but it’s proven to be well worth the wait after Cillian Murphy won the Golden Globe for ‘Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama’ for his titular performance in Oppenheimer.
In just his second nomination at the ceremony – and first in 16 years since he was shortlisted for ‘Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy’ thanks to a breakout turn in Breakfast on Pluto – Murphy defeated some stiff competition to walk away with the trophy.
Maestro‘s Bradley Cooper, Killers of the Flower Moon‘s Leonardo DiCaprio, Rustin‘s Colman Domingo, Saltburn‘s Barry Keoghan, and All of Us Strangers‘ Andrew Scott made up a hotly-contested, esteemed, and eclectic category. Still, it was Murphy’s towering and commanding effort as the father of the atomic bomb that won out in the end.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the star is guaranteed to enjoy the same experience at the Oscars, though, even if the ‘Best Actor’ race is increasingly beginning to look as if it’s boiling down to a direct showdown between Murphy and The Holdovers‘ Paul Giamatti, who took home the Golden Globe for ‘Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.’
Taking to the stage with his wife’s lipstick smeared all over his face, Murphy thanked his “visionary director” for “carrying me and holding me through this movie.” Continuing, he reflected on his long-time creative partnership with the Oppenheimer filmmaker and thanked him “for having faith in me for 20 years and six fecking pictures.”
Murphy’s was just one of five Golden Globes awarded to Oppenheimer, which additionally snagged the statue for ‘Best Motion Picture – Drama,’ with Nolan, co-star Robert Downey Jr, and composer Ludwig Göransson the recipients of ‘Best Director,’ ‘Best Supporting Actor,’ and ‘Best Original Score’ respectively.
As a result, the biographical drama is now established as the one to beat at the upcoming Oscars.
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