Cillian Murphy has said that he has often hidden behind his acting, admitting that he is "terrible at being myself".
The actor made these comments while expressing his admiration for his parents' teaching careers, which form an extra layer to his latest project, Steve, a new movie which sees the actor return to school.
The movie, which is set in the mid 1990s, sees Murphy star as the title character, a teacher who is going through a pivotal day in his life as he works with students at a reform school. While dealing with its impending closure, and the issues facing its own student, it turns out that Murphy aka Steve is facing demons of his own.
Speaking recently, Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy has said that his parents' background in the field had generated his interest in taking on the role in Steve. This background includes his mother working as a French teacher in his native Cork, as well as his father working in education.
“I think it did have some influence, definitely", Murphy stated.
He continued: "It’s taken me a few years to completely understand how seriously my mum and my dad took their work and how much they are appreciated".
“I’ve had people my mum used to teach French come up to me and say how much it meant to them. I’ve had messages from teachers who had dad come to visit them saying how much they appreciated how he was in their classroom. I’m really very proud of what they did and what they are still doing".
The Peaky Blinders star admitted that he does not feel that he would have had what it takes to follow in their footsteps and become a teacher.
“The thing about being a teacher is that you have to stand up there in front of everyone and be yourself. I’m terrible at being myself", he said. "As an actor, I hide behind a character. I couldn’t stand up there in front of people, trying to impart information. I wouldn’t have that confidence".
Earlier this month, Murphy also spoke about his brief time in a Cork based band in the 1990s. More on this from Nova here.
