I’m a fan of Cillian Murphy’s work but I know nothing about his life. I didn’t even realize that he’s in his 40s! This man is 46 years old. I thought he was, like, 35 years old, tops. He’s also been married to his first and only wife Yvonne McGuiness for eighteen years? And she’s in her 40s too. They have two teenage children, Malachy and Aran. Cillian and Yvonne lived and worked in the London area for years as their kids were growing up, but then Cillian noticed that Aran and Malachy were speaking with posh English accents. And that Irishman said NOT TODAY.
Cillian Murphy has revealed he decided to move his family back to his home country of Ireland in 2015, because they had ‘posh English accents.’ The Peaky Blinders star, 45, who shares children Malachy, 16, and 14-year-old Aran with his wife Yvonne McGuinness, spent over a decade living in London with his family but has now returned to his homeland. But during a chat with Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast, Cillian revealed that their 2015 move came as he wanted his children to be Irish.
He explained: ‘We wanted the kids to be Irish. They were sort of at that age where they were pre-teens and had very posh English accents and I wasn’t appreciating that too much! So we decided to come back. We were in London for 14 years, both our kids were born there and we only came back to Dublin in 2015. It’s kind of an Irish story to move away, do your thing and come home, that seems to be a common narrative for Irish people.’
While his children’s accents played a large part of the move decision, there was other factors too – with Cillian sharing that he wanted to go home to be closer to his and Yvonne’s parents.
‘And you know, our parents are at a certain age. It was just a nice time to come home,’ he added. And it seems he won’t be following in the footsteps of the acting elite, claiming he ‘couldn’t envisage’ upping sticks to Los Angeles. Cillian said: ‘I love visiting and I love the food and I do love the weather. I don’t know, I just feel European, I just feel Irish. I’d feel like a bit of an interloper if I lived in California, I couldn’t envisage living there permanently.’
It feels to me, as an outsider on British and Irish culture, that Irish people are much less neurotic about “moving away” than British people. Like Cillian says, it seems pretty common to hear about Irish people moving away from Ireland for a decade or two and then “coming home,” and no one bats an eye. Whereas the British media seems to have a full-blown panic attack if one of their English celebrities moves to LA or New York to live. It’s pretty weird. Anyway, I think it’s funny that Cillian felt so strongly about his kids’ accents. I also think it’s nice that Cillian doesn’t really have a problem with LA and he likes it there, he just doesn’t want to live there.
Photos courtesy of Instar.
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- , New York, NY – 20200308- World Premiere of A Quiet Place Part II at the Rose Theatre at Jazz At Lincoln Center -PICTURED: Cillian Murphy -PHOTO by: Erik Nielsen/Media Punch/INSTARimages.com This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- , New York, NY – 20200308- World Premiere of A Quiet Place Part II at the Rose Theatre at Jazz At Lincoln Center -PICTURED: Cillian Murphy -PHOTO by: Erik Nielsen/Media Punch/INSTARimages.com This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
I never feel anything less than haunted looking at this man. A terrific actor with amazingly beautiful eyes, but I think if I were to meet him in person, I would always assume he was about to murder me.
That’s what happens when you mess with the f-ing Peaky Blinders!
I’ve never seen Peaky Blinders but I see him as a serial killer as well. I know I’ve seen him in a movie where he was the villain but I don’t remember what it was. Maybe a batman movie?
Steph, he was the scarecrow in a Batman movie and holy moly, he was scary.
I agree… he’s gorgeous in this frightening, edgy way
Good one. I do like watching him in Peaky Blinders.
@Steph, he was also the plane-hijacking villain in a movie called Red Eye with Rachel McAdams. He was terrifying in that, bc he gaslit and then tormented McAdams’ character, and so even though I haven’t seen the movie since it first came out in 2005, I’m a little terrified of him.
(I mean, he’s clearly a great actor that I’m still scared of him from that!)
Haha! Me too! Red Eye is the movie that introduced him to me.
I first met him in Breakfast on Pluto in which he plays a very sweet transitioning teen. But that was long enough ago that I’m not surprised he’s in his 40s.
Yes! Red Eye for me too (which is why I know he can’t be in his 30s :).
Someone called him a beautiful alien and I think that is right. His eyes, cheek bones–he is beautiful and haunting. And very sexy as Tommy Shelby.
@Still in my robe My husband has worked with him so he’s seen him in person and says he’s very weird looking. (and very small in person.)
@anon – I’ve worked with him in person too, and I’d quibble with that description. He IS small/ short and fine-boned, and has kind of hunched posture. But he really IS like a beautiful alien, his accent/ voice are like buttah, and his eyes, of course, are utterly mesmerizing. But he doesn’t give off serial killer vibes IRL- he is totally nice, polite, and self-effacing , and seems surprised that Americans know who he is.
My favorite performance of his is the lead in 28 Days Later. He’s incredible in it, AND it’s the hottest he’s ever looked. I highly recco that one…
I feel the same. It’s definitely the eyes, and the way he has such an intense stare.
LMAO!!!
Same. And now that I know he is only 2 years younger than me, I think he is a warlock. He has bewitched time.
I saw him once in a cafe and can say that he looks as gorgeous in real life but does not have an unsettling aura at all (quite the contrary).
I love the actor and I love the man he show us in interviews. He just seems nice and level headed, just want to do his job and go back to his family. I like that he doesn’t get condescending with LA and celebs culture in general.
Red Eye is such a terrific movie. One of Wes Craven’s finest moments.
Remember when ONTD’s nickname for him was The World’s Hottest Lesbian? I still call him that in my head.
And that Irishman said NOT TODAY! 😂 love this story @kaiser
IDK, imagine being a middle schooler with a posh British accent in Ireland. Tough times indeed.
It is true! Some Irish comedians have good routines about “the day you realize you’ve reared an Englishman” :))
Now, Cillian lives in a very la-di-da part of south Dublin, so the local accent is affected AF. Having said that, my friend lives a couple of streets away from him and sees him around. A lovely and low-key guy, I’m told 🙂
Fierce! Thank you Kaiser
The man is gorgeous.
About the accent.
I work a lot with the London based Brits, and that posh accent has my eyes rolling, probably for other reasons but if I had the chance I would run away too!
Lol he literally did run away. This is a funny and cute story, but after that many years in London, will they be able to lose the posh accent??? Maybe they only had a slight one as both the parents were Irish so it won’t take too long in Ireland for the full Irish accent to take over. Wishing them all a speedy recovery from the posh British accent.
They might be able to be like Gillian Anderson who is “bidialectal.” So many people didn’t realize she was American because she does a lot of roles in British accents (I guess her decade on the X-Files went over people’s heads?). She spent time in England as a kid and spent about the first decade of her life in the UK before her family moved back to the States (her parents are American). Other kids made fun of her British accent she had acquired so she worked to get rid of it but she can always pull it out. It’s pretty impressive.
Amelie, I was a ****huge**** X-Files fan when it was on TV and I never realized she was British as well as American until a few years ago. She sounds superb with any accent.
I’ve loved him since 28 Days Later and Intermission in my college days, lol, so being in his mid 40s seems about right. Something about this headline is just cracking me up. Like he panicked at the thought of his kids sounding too English and got them the hell out of there. It just seems so….Irish….to me, lol.
I like his comments about being Irish and European and not wanting to live in LA. I find sometimes the anti-LA comments from celebs to be tiresome. What’s wrong with saying “its a lovely area but not for me”?
I’d be distressed by my kids sounding like the epitome of my country’s oppressors, too. The posh London accents might also come with posh London mindsets.
Cillian Murphy is incredibly talented.
I like that he seems so together, he comes off as interesting, polite, but he keeps his personal life pretty private. I’ve seen him on talk shows rarely.
He does at times seem uncomfortable doing press interviews, even his body stance in the first picture, is he standing in the military “at ease” position? Or am I used to seeing slouching, duck face posing from celebs? lol
I understand about “coming home” to Ireland, he, his wife, both their parents all Irish. I assume that means extended family is still there. You want your kids to be able to experience your roots, and spend time with family.
Plus, my friends originally from Ireland do NOT care to be ID as British. They automatically correct anyone who refers to them as British, we’re Irish. It can be a touchy thing to them.
Lol at a “touchy thing”. Irish people are NOT British. Britain invaded and oppressed Ireland, tried to actively kill the culture as well. If you like Cillian, have Irish friends, and don’t know much about the Anglo Irish history I suggest you watch The Wind That Shakes the Barley.
‘Touchy thing’ you mean 800 years of oppression, destroying the culture and language, and genocide in the form of a famine? God help your Irish friends if you actually do have any
Both of you are talking about it in a very American way that no Irish person in Ireland talks like. Remember that projecting American feelings and attitudes onto other countries is also a form of colonialism. Regarding Britain, Irish people care about current issues, ways that Britain is impacting Ireland now. Nobody goes back and cites genocide and a famine. Talk to actual Irish people, don’t talk FOR them because of some distant Irish ancestor. People in this thread are literally saying they are speaking for Ireland and got “Irish” beliefs from their great-grandparents! Good grief, don’t do that. Don’t talk over or for actual Irish people in Ireland.
Irish here. Take the accents thing with a pinch of salt. It’s tongue in cheek and one of many, many gentle swipes against our neighbours across the water! 😂
As a Dub, I was going to say the same thing – a little dig – we’re good at that 🙂
No Irish person would want their own to speak with a posh Engish accent. It would be very grating. It would also be a source of shame. Accents come from peers, and since they moved home several years ago, the peer pressure has probably done its work.
My great grandparents on my grandmother’s side, and my great great grandparents on my grandfather’s side are from the Irish Republic, and it’s foundational within my family’s upbringing to be wary of british imperialists 😂 The accent is a sign of assimilation which is what Irish, Scottish and Welsh people have been resisting for hundreds of years. No hate to the British people themselves, but yeah, fuck the monarchy
I’m of Irish descent on my father’s side. Alas, my grandparents were all born in upstate NY, so I’m not eligible for dual citizenship. But the whole gang is from Castlebar.
When I was in college, I dated a man whose parents were from Castlebar and my father went bananas for him. “This is the one! The one!” Aaaghhh, no dad, we are probably related! Noooooo…
And yes, down with the monarchy. I will take great pleasure in watching it disintegrate. It’s in my blood.
I could I don’t think it’s the British *people* who are or aren’t neurotic about people moving away. As you said, it’s the British *media* who bat celebs around for that. Maybe it’s an offshoot of the tall poppy stuff, they feel the need to slam those who could make it worldwide vs just in Britain.
Then again there’s a whole history or people emigrating from Ireland to survive, so maybe that plays into it too.
But good CM and his wife for making moves based on what their priorities are
Agreed, it’s the British media for sure. I get a tad annoyed when people assume the people and media are the same thing when they are not. People moving is usually seen as exciting by people I know. The media here really are their own animal! Anyway, love Cillian, so talented
Yeah, a huge number of Brits live overseas! I live in Bondi in Sydney and most of my apartment building is British! LOL. I’ve also lived in a bunch of countries around the world (Asia, Middle East, South America, mainland Europe) and Brits are absolutely everywhere. I actually think it’s very much ingrained in British culture to live abroad and to travel. A lot of Brits move to Australia and never go home. (A lot of the Irish too). This is just a “weirdo tabloids losing their shit because all their homegrown stars move away” thing.
I don’t know how I feel about one of the catalysts being his kids’ accents. It’s a funny story until you realize the man took his young teens away from their friends and school because they SOUND like posh Brits. He basically raised them as posh Brits then was appalled when they reflected their upbringing?
Hopefully the kids were happy to move, but I don’t know many who wouldn’t be at least a little upset. Then learning their accents played even a small part in the decision…
The older child was only 10 when they moved.
If they moved in 2015, the kids would have been 9 & 7 years old.
Most people in London do not have posh accents. If his kids did then it’s probably because he sent them to an expensive private school.
agreed – it seems a bit self congratulatory
OH, we moved due to this….eh, maybe but it sounds like there were many other factors that affected the decision but this one makes a nice sound bite. Don’t want your children to have XY accent? Don’t birth and raise them in XY place. It ain’t hard. 😉
Not sure about people having histrionics about moving your kids. My family moved every year or two. Kids are fine. Moving stops kids from getting provincial.
Love him! Truly an unbelievable talent. Been following his career since The Wind that Shakes the Barley. He is about to have a crazy 2023 with his biggest role yet.
I totally get why he moved his family to Ireland. All jokes aside on the accent, I think the Irish have a complicated relationship with the English because of all the historical oppression and atrocities. And for someone who probably strongly identifies as Irish(given his family) it is probably jarring to think his children could be more English than Irish.
Anyway, really like him as an actor
I have such respect for him as an actor and a human being. Doesn’t court the limelight, by all accounts works extremely hard at his craft and is devoted to his family. In all the interviews with him I’ve read, he comes across as humble and kind.
This man is so incredibly…delectable. Those piercing eyes, that confident demeanor, *sighs and fans biscuit
Something to keep in mind though is there’s history there regarding that accent. So while it may just be ‘an accent’ to you, to Irish people it’s the voice of a nation that did some major damage to your country – so it’s deeper than just sounding British – it’s what that represents. So a cheeky dig at the Brits, but I’m sure there were other factors in moving the family back
I thought he was closer to my age (early 50s), as I first saw him in Batman. Wasn’t he also in Cold Mountain? He’s been working for a while.
I’m sure he’s a lovely person, but he creeps me out. I haven’t been able to separate him from his characters.
This article warmed my cold Canadian heart today. I am always thirsty for a tall glass of Cillian Murphy… lol.
In my experience of English accents and Ireland (both NI and the Republic), they don’t ‘lose’ their accents, especially those from the home counties.
I think British people specifically freak out when Brits move to the US.
If I saw this face in a line up I would think “serial killer”.
I agree. But he’d be in the category of “Serial Killers I’d Take Home” for me
NOT TODAY 😂
he talked about being relieved to be done with the peaks blinder hair in an interview but I actually prefer it on him. Especially to what he has going on here 🙃
OK, so I looked up his wife and she sounds like a really interesting woman, an accomplished artist. More power to them. But boy, did he NOT go for looks.
Aren’t you the straight-up bitch.
@Paula, I just googled CM’s wife and thought she was very beautiful.
Looked up his wife just now. High cheekbones, beautiful bone structure, a really attractive lady and accomplished artist.
He is so talented and low key. He’s had a lot of good roles but stays out of the mainstream media.