The one song Cillian Murphy wishes he had written
Cillian Murphy has always been a vocal music fan. While probably best known for his role in Peaky Blinders as the gangster Tommy Shelby, the Irish actor has talked about his love of music throughout his career, even admitting he writes his own material when the moment feels right.
Murphy has become something of a cultural obsession in recent years. Despite appearing in a series of significant mainstream projects like Oppenheimer and Dunkirk, the actor has maintained a streak of mystery about him. Balancing out his major pictures with a host of left-field, independent roles, doing very few public appearances, and always talking candidly in his interviews, Murhpy has toed the line between enigma and box office banker.
Escaping the clutches of London to avoid his children getting “posh English accents” rather than Irish, the actor is now based in Dublin, where he apparently spent the SAG-AFTRA strike “staying at home, eating cheese“.
But when Murphy gets talking about music, that seems to be when the veil drops, and he lets the public in. The actor recently wrapped up a run of shows on BBC Radio 6Music, sharing tracks from a whole range of artists from Fontaines D.C and Big Thief to Lou Reed and Nina Simone.
Murphy’s musical tastes seem to wade deep into emotional waters, favouring lyric-heavy tracks over upbeat cuts. It makes sense that when NME asked what song he wishes he’d written, he picked the Radiohead classic ‘No Surprises’.
“I’ve written my own music, and I play guitar,” he admits. Clips of Murphy’s old band or scenes of him singing in movies like Disco Pigs float around online, but who knows if the world will ever hear his music.
“I think they’re the biggest band, who became the biggest band in the world without wanting to be the biggest band in the world,” he says. Radiohead’s reclusive nature gives Murphy’s a run for his money, making the band and actor something of kindred spirits.
Playing his cards close to his chest as to whether the world may ever hear his own music – or even hear a Radiohead cover from the actor – Murphy says simply, “They’re probably my favourite band.”
